Housing transformation is a situation where households carryout far-reaching alterations, extension, modification or addition to the original forms, extent and patterns of their buildings including their immediate environment. This paper investigated the impact of housing transformation on residents’ quality of life. The Federal Low-Income Housing Estate, Ipaja in Lagos State was purposively selected for the study. The study population was 1514 housing units spread across four different zones (A-D) of the estate. Sample size of 560 randomly selected housing units alongside their household heads were units of study. Data was collected by means of structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, cross tabulation and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients at p<.05 significance level. 560 questionnaires were administered out of which 379 were validly returned. Result revealed that housing transformation in public housing is inevitable and carried out irrespective of income status of residents. Tenure status was also identified as a key factor which impacts on housing transformation. The study identified that spaces prone to transformation were those deemed as unsatisfactory by residents and with dire effect on their quality of life. It is recommended that appropriate policy guidelines be put in place to accommodate flexibility in design of public housing to suit the traditional lifestyles of would-be occupants.
Keywords: housing, housing transformation, low-income housing, quality of life, Nigeria