Effects of climate change on commercial properties in Lagos state, Nigeria

The purpose of this paper is to identify climate change related building defects and examine the effects of climate change on commercial properties in Lagos State. The method involved the analysis of primary data collected from the 270 practicing estate surveying firms in the study area. Proportion method was used to determine the defects that are related to climate change and establish the effects of climate change on commercial buildings. The result shows that joint failure is a major defect because of climate change. Other defects in their perceived order of importance include the growth of algae, wear and tear, as well as roof leakages. These defects are workmanship and materials related issues, which apparently were either too weak or poor to withstand the seemingly harsh weather that came with climate change. The results in respect of the effects of climate change on commercial properties in the order of the perceived effects are health hazards, infrastructure damage, and high rate of deterioration, reduction in property value, increase in maintenance cost and loss of income. This paper concludes by noting that there was a need to stimulate the interest of other researchers in conducting similar research in other geo-political zones of the country as well as in respect of other categories of properties.