Purpose This study seeks to understand how land tenure security and dwelling occupancy modes influence disaster risk reduction in precarious urban communities. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a comprehensive review of recent publications on the relationship between land tenure security, access to credit, housing improvements, and the expected outcome: safer housing and thus risk reduction. We used a database of surveys from a previous study conducted by the authors in eight informal settlements across six Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2017–2018. Bivariate correlation and Point-Biserial correlations analyses were conducted, using the stepwise variable selection for all regressions. This study assesses whether dwelling occupancy mode and land tenure situation predict the changes in disaster risk factors such as dwellings' physical conditions and occupants' social conditions. Findings Our extensive literature review reveals: (1) securing housing occupancy alone does not automatically address the issue of credit access, nor does it result in house improvement that lead to safer housing; and (2) households with land tenure or occupancy issues that are exposed to natural hazards are frequently excluded from aid distribution and post-disaster reconstruction programs which increases their vulnerability to future disasters. Our statistical analysis found a positive relationship between consolidated mode of occupancy and land tenure with disaster risk factors associated with housing conditions, particularly access to utilities (i.e., water, sewage, and energy). Originality/value Our study is the result of a systematic process framed within an evidence-based DRR evaluation strategy that brings forth the scope of measures to secure land tenure conditions and consolidate house occupancy modes as means to improve safety and quality of life in informal settlements that ultimately influence the susceptibility of communities to the impacts of natural hazards.
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