time to change – german property managers

Hausverwaltung – property manager in Germany

If you live in Berlin, you have already made the acquaintance of your Hausverwaltung. And let me guess: your experience ranges somewhere between horror and fear. I have met only few people in Berlin who are really happy with their property manager.

But why is that?

Communication

Well, my first observation is an overload of work and unsatisfied, actually annoyed employees. Secondly, the majority of the employees working at Hausverwaltungen are in their fifties, mainly not capable of speaking a second foreign language – yes, not even English. This adds to their lack of patience, since 40% of their tenants are foreigners, in some areas of Berlin there are predominantly only English speaking tenants. The communication between tenant and manager is limited and sagging, let alone the cultural differences.

Technology

This is another weak point. Many property manager still work with very old computer systems and their offices are filled with files and filing cabinets. Digital natives would not last very long in this kind of environment. Digitalization is still far off for some managers and so is the efficiency of their work.

Earning

Unfortunately investing in a Hausverwaltung is not very attractive for investors and Start Up´s. The work of a Hausverwaltung is pretty much underpaid. Most of them still charge the same fee from 2002, when the Deutsche Mark got replaced by the Euro. Inflation rate? Increased costs? Increased salaries? Nobody really cares and not many property owners appreciate their job. There is always a negotiation fight between owner and manager, the competitors also reduce the value of this important job by baiting with dumping fees.

How to solve this drama?

How about a PropTech Start Up gets passionate about property management and develops a really good software combined with apps to make this administrative work lighter and faster?

How about the property managers in Germany raise their voices and stand to their work and their worth, without giving into dumping fees?

How about making this kind of work interesting for Digital Natives and Millenials? The work force of the Baby-Boomers will leave a big void within the next 15 years. And being accurate and good with numbers is not a generational gift but a character trait.