Explaining the outcomes of multi-owned housing management: A collective action perspective

•Little has been done on the role of owners’ collective actions in multi-owned housing (MOH) management.•The study identified seven key exogenous factors of MOH management.•The study showed that MOH management was positively affected by a well-designed deed of mutual covenant.•The study recommended an institutional approach to tackle collective action problems in MOH management.

The construction of multi-owned housing (MOH) is often viewed as a step towards built environment sustainability. However, this view does not hold true if MOH developments are improperly managed by their owners. The existing research studies conclude that the quality management of an MOH development hinges on its owners' collective efforts. But the findings are divided over why one MOH development is successfully managed by its owners while another one is not. This paper aims to fill the research gap. From a collective action perspective, it first synthesized the key exogenous factors of MOH management. It then investigated the relationship between the factors and MOH management outcomes using survey data. The paper found that apart from the physical features of an MOH development (e.g. development age and scale), the attributes of the owner group (e.g. group size and agent) and the institutions governing the development management (e.g. deed of mutual covenant) played an important role in shaping the management outcomes. These findings have far-reaching implications for housing management policies intended to motivate MOH owners to take good care of their properties.