This paper presents findings on the critical factors which affect the delivery of low-income housing in
South Africa and the effect of these factors on the residents’ satisfaction with their housing units. Data
used in the study was obtained through a Delphi Study, where the views of housing experts were
solicited on the critical factors which affect low-income housing delivery in South Africa. Since
panellists form the cornerstone of the Delphi Technique, clear inclusion criteria were applied and also
as a means of evaluating the results and establishing the study’s potential relevance to other settings
and populations. Hence, each expert was required to meet at least five benchmarks. These include the
length of residency in South Africa, educational background amongst others. Results emanating from
the study revealed that seven factors were considered critical by the experts after consensus was
achieved. Amongst these include: limited budget (dwindling tax base) and the lack of appropriate
policy to handle informal settlement upgrading, etc. The study contributes to the body of knowledge
on the subject where no consensus has been reached pertaining to the critical factors affecting the
delivery of low-income housing in South Africa. A limitation of the study was the reliance on a
structured questionnaire survey in the three iterative rounds of Delphi technique to reach consensus
and experts were not allowed to add any more indicators