Residential property investors speeding up digitalisation due to the corona pandemic is a positive development, says Terrence Wong, Yardi regional manager for Europe. However, the main reason for going online is that very soon, potential tenants will expect and demand digital services. ‘The result is happy tenants, more efficient business processes and greater profitability.’ Wong was one of those taking part in the Yardi roundtable on the use and the necessity of the further digitalisation of clients’ journeys. In the Netherlands, the leasing cycle is frequently still very laborious, says Wong. ‘Tenants don’t meet their property managers until the leasing cycle starts. Property managers are often hard to get hold of. The perception of a potential client who spends 20 minutes in the queue, is not put through and has to call back a few days later is obviously far from positive. The new tenant subsequently has to print out lots of documents to be signed, then has to pass by to view the property, and then again to sign the contract. And all this exclusively during office hours.’ Moving faster Digitalising the whole leasing cycle, both for the tenant and our own organisation, cuts out a lot of the red tape. ‘See it as a service to the tenant. Tenants want to do it all themselves through a smart app, without being tied to office hours or the property manager’s agenda. And property managers, too, want to move fast. Having tenants submit all their details digitally and allowing them to take care of many of their affairs themselves requires fewer internal employees. Furthermore, complaints can be processed and dealt with quickly, with ongoing automatic updates. This leads to happy, well-informed tenants and an efficient internal completion procedure.’ High tech and high touch According...

AMSTERDAM – Terrence Wong (Yardi), Remco van de Wetering (Newomij), Hans Touw (Redevco), Robert-Jan Reeuwijk (CBRE) and Jaap van der Bijl (Altera) were recently invited to discuss the impact that social issues such as sustainability and affordability have on the value of residential property. According to Reeuwijk, the current housing market places even greater emphasis on the importance of an objective valuation of (properties) in a residential property portfolio. “When determining value, you use multiple sources so that you can look at standard parameters such as vacancy values or rental values. Then, using databases you can add new quality-defining elements such as the year of construction, the energy label and the location of the complex in question.” Transactions Van de Wetering states that the assessment of quality – and thus of value – has always been an issue in transactions, but he places even more emphasis on this fact for acquisitions. “More and more restrictions are being introduced at a local level for the mid-rental market segment and even then we don’t exactly know where the government wants to go in terms of regulation. But in determining the value of a portfolio, it is important to be aware of this both for the investors and the end users.” End user According to Touw, this depends on which definition you attribute to the term “end user.” “In my experience you are talking about the tenant. When determining quality, you start with the question of what the tenant’s experience is of this property, rather than just determining how good you think the product is for the tenant through the lens of the provider.” Measurable “What represents quality for one investor, does not for another,” asserts Van der Bijl. “As property investors, we want to measure, manage...

The evolution of the flexible office sector has shaken up the real estate industry and has arguably changed it for the better. Yardi recently brought together a panel of experts in the UK to discuss the many segments of flexible offices and what lies in store for the sector. Mary Finnigan, head of transactions, real estate, WeWork Chris Pieroni, operations director, Workspace Group Adrian Goldney, co-founder, Flexible Office Space John Williams, head of marketing, Instant Group Joff Sharpe, head of operations, British Land Tony Freeth, director coworking, Yardi Europe Liz Hamson, editor, Property Week – chair   LH: With all the different definitions out there, what should we be calling the sector? Should there be a standard definition or does it really matter? CP: All the definitions out there are very different – hybrid, coworking, flexible, service – and then you’ve got all sorts of issues around whether they are an operator or a landlord and then you’ve got all sorts of issues about what sort of services are offered; whether they are exclusive or not. And it’s really complicated to pull all the data together and try to get an understanding. I’ve got my own view on where we stand in the flexible office market and we didn’t fit into any of the definitions. We’ve decided to just look at the flexible market.   LH: So what do you define flexible as? CP: So we had three different categories – something under three months, and then we stopped at over 12 months. But actually, I think now as larger corporates want flexibility, you might be saying flexibility for them is three years. So I don’t know, but we stopped at over 12 months. JS: I don’t think the starting point is flexibility; it’s...

Europe is a vibrant, culture-rich continent that combines world-class cities with future-focused professionals who are growing the coworking industry. As of 2016, there were over 2,500 coworking spaces throughout Europe, comparable to, if not exceeding, the amount in North America. Let’s take a look at 6 amazing coworking spaces in Europe, some in major tourist hubs, and some on roads less traveled. Volumes – Paris, France Paris needs no introduction. It is one of the cultural, historical, economical and tourist capitals of the world. In the center of the city you’ll find Volumes. What’s most unique about Volumes is that it combines coworking, a makers space, and a food lab. Makers Space is an onsite workshop fully equipped with a laser cutter, milling machine and a 3D printer (check out their website for details on this, it’s fantastic). The food lab is ideal for restaurant startups, amateur chefs, and anyone who wants to break into the culinary field. It is as unique a set-up as any coworking space Europe offers and in an amazing location as well. Remix – Paris, France Another top spot coworking spot in Paris is Remix. Remix boasts 5 locations throughout the city, all with ample space, huge conference rooms, multiple smaller meeting rooms, and kitchens. Their membership prices are posted directly on their site and they all provide 24/7 availability, which is huge. Work.Life – London, UK A major tourist destination, as well as a booming entrepreneur hub, London is home to some of the most unique coworking spaces on Earth. Check out Work.Life which has 6 locations in the city. Work.Life specializes in shorter term memberships and more intimate spaces, with hotdesk plans available even by the hour. For as little as £4 per hour, you can grab a...

As modern landlords strive to drive footfall and revenues in their shopping centers, they are using sophisticated new tools and techniques. Astute use of data can lead to better-informed decisions – but how is the impact of this new discipline being felt across the property industry? Yardi brought together a panel of thought leaders in the sector in a round table event in central London. Fiona Hamilton, global head of retail for international brands, BNP Paribas Allan Lockhart, property director, NewRiver REIT Charles Maudsley, executive director, head of retail, British Land Sophie Ross, group head of multichannel, Hammerson Ailish Christian-West, head of portfolio, shopping centers, Landsec Claer Barrett, personal finance editor, Financial Times (chair) How widespread is the use of data becoming within physical retail assets? SR: It’s relatively easy to capture data – it’s much harder to add value. I would say that only around 20 percent of the data gathered by landlords is being used effectively. CM: Data is just the starting point. At British Land we collect and analyze more data than ever before about shopping patterns, demographics and spending. We replay that to retailers. Anonymised mobile phone signals can show us a heat map of where shoppers are in the center, and point to linkages between retailers. For example, our brand profiling shows TK Maxx and Pret a Manger are highly correlated. TK Maxx in Hinckley – would an adjoining Pret boost their sales? We can measure conversion rates – the number of people who pass a store versus the number who actually go in. We can say to a retailer, it’s 30 percent in your shop, but it’s 90 percent elsewhere, so let’s find out why. We can show retailers looking to open a store with us how their...

London, United Kingdom will host the annual Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) on 15-16 November, 2016. The conference will be held at the Park Plaza Riverbank London hotel, located on the south bank of the River Thames overlooking the Houses of Parliament. This year, YASC will bring together an estimated 250 clients and 80 staff for two days of learning and networking with real estate professionals within the European commercial, residential and investment sectors. The conference focuses on advanced software training, product updates and exploring important industry topics. YASC will offer clients 84 unique classes and panels tailored for executives, product users and technology professionals. Attendees can look forward to a General Session with Yardi leadership on Tuesday, interactive client and expert panels throughout the conference, networking receptions, prize draws and the highly anticipated YASC Gala. New to 2016, the conference has been enhanced for expanded client learning and networking: Connect with the YASC App. Attendees can access conference information, maps, social networking and in-app messaging on the YASC App. Use the YASC App to view your daily schedule, explore YASC social media activity and to complete session evaluations. The YASC App is available for download at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Get social and win! This year, we are hosting Europe’s first YASC social media scavenger hunt. Complete all six tasks to be entered to win prizes during Wednesday’s Closing Remarks. Learn more about the scavenger hunt in your conference brochure. Connect and share your YASC experience on your favourite social network using our event hashtag, #YASC2016. Get hands-on experience from the experts. Reinforce newly acquired skills with hands-on experience in our on-site lab. Our expert account managers and technical staff will be on hand to walk you through advanced techniques and to answer your...

For more than a decade, Dirk Völkel has channeled his passion for retail asset investment into his company, VÖLKEL COMPANY Group, which provides real estate management services in Germany.  Founded in 2004, the company today operates 170 properties valued at 1.3 billion euros and handles a high volume of transactions from offices across Germany. “Our business is family-driven and focused on maintaining long-term relationships with clients,” said Völkel, the company’s founder, main shareholder and managing director.  “We are a one-stop-contact in Germany, capable of providing the full spectrum of investment advice and services.  Some of our team members have been working in the field for up to 25 years, so we know the difference between real experience and merely good marketing.” Individual client service A special point of pride for Völkel is the degree of personal service his company delivers.  “For some large, long-established companies, any given client is one among many.  For us as a mid-size company, every client is important as an individual, and we take every client seriously. In an era that has seen the outsourcing of many services, our services are 100% “Made in Germany,” he said.  “We handle investments as if they were our own money. We are proud of the good references we have earned.  In fact, much of our new business comes from word of mouth among investors who are satisfied with our services.” While justly proud of his company’s achievements in offering engaged, flexible, quick and successful investment services, Völkel knows well enough that continued success depends on maintaining a keen focus on the future, rather than dwelling on a distinguished past.  “We constantly work to improve our high-quality services.  Not only that, we continuously measure our clients’ expectations of us.  As one extremely important example,...

Advances in technology are giving the retail property sector a helping hand to define compelling offerings through the use of big data. Developing financially successful retail centres is challenging. In fact, it’s widely regarded that real estate companies, invested in retail assets, are among the leading pioneers of strategic real estate management. Successful strategies are born out of understanding the best approach to engage shoppers with the right tenant mix to suit regional trends as demographics change and are impacted by regional economic, cultural and political circumstances. Adapting a retail offering and providing new ways of engaging retailers and consumers while delivering services that enhance relationships, drive down costs and deliver value for owners are undoubtedly key. However, at the very heart of any successful strategy is one, mission-critical element – data. With the retail sector generating more data in a single month than many other vertical real estate markets, the use of simple tools and spreadsheets is redundant as firms struggle to gain valuable insights into retail operations and trends. Business technology is undoubtedly a major driver. Helping provide a solid, error-free foundation to house data is one thing, but the power comes from delivering a seamless, real-time framework that enables employees to analyse the data in such a way to deliver sound retail strategies. In an industry that is so invested in defining compelling offerings through the use of data, has the technology sector risen to the challenge? The most successful retail real estate companies are now embracing the latest technology to support their strategies and the leading software providers are raising the bar. Cloud-based offerings now enable companies to host their data in a single secure database, providing a risk-free environment that delivers real-time access to strategy-shaping analysis to desktops and...

Note: the following piece by Richard Gerritsen, Regional Director for Yardi European sales, was originally published in Property Week of Great Britain in June 2016. Reprinted with permission. It seems that almost anything is available to us now at the click of a mouse – or more often a tap on the screen of our phone. What is the population of Botswana? How do I get to my next meeting? Does the restaurant that I want to go to take bookings? Does it have good reviews? And where is best for a drink afterwards? It has become commonplace now to have all these questions answered almost instantly via mobile technology to the extent we now take it for granted. I may be showing my age, but I can remember a time when I used a physical map to find my way around; my daughter has never used one and wouldn’t know what to do with it. That makes me feel very old, but we must remember that this generation – which has grown up in a world that is contantly connected, where everything, it sometimes seems, has an app – is the one that is about to take over. Is the business world in general – and the property sector in particular – ready for this sea change? I’m not sure it is. Yes, there is innovation and a burgeoning proptech sector, but overwhelmingly the world of property remains firmly rooted in the old ways of doing things. If I want to buy a book or tickets to the theatre, all the information I need is just a few clicks away. Paper chase But if I’m an investor and I want to buy a £100m building, it is hard to get the information I...