Heimstaden Introduces Plentiful Improvements and the Concept of

BUSINESS Heimstaden Introduces Plentiful Improvements and the Concept of Friendly Homes Residomo, the largest private provider of rental housing in the Czech Republic, became Heimstaden Czech on May 27, 2020. The name changed when the new owner, Swedish Heimstaden Bostad AB, purchased the company. Heimstaden owns housing portfolios in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, and now in the Czech Republic, too. It thus became the fourth-largest rental-housing provider in Europe. What can its current and prospective tenants look forward to and expect from the change? Let us check out the responses of Jan Rafaj, CEO at Heimstaden Czech. Mr Rafaj, with Heimstaden, a renowned company is entering the Czech rental-housing market. What is it bringing? Heimstaden has operated in Europe since 1998, and therefore has years of experience in the ownership and administration of tens of thousands of flats. The principal vision of Heimstaden is the offer of long-term, stable, and affordable rental housing with the concept of Friendly Homes. The emphasis is on social and environmental sustainability, and a high standard of living for both tenants and employees, who are looked after and respected. The company invests in the buildings of their tenants but also in the neighbourhood. I believe that the high standards of Heimstaden in services and corporate values will inspire other rental-housing providers in the Czech Republic, to the benefit of all tenants. The crucial values of Heimstaden include Care – Dare – Share. What do these words represent? Heimstaden will continue the high level of management and maintenance of our current flats and has a vision for the further development of our portfolio and future investments. The quality of housing and our services has increased in recent years, and with the new owner we can expect even better standards. For example, on June 1, 2020, we started a free new helpline, a client service online portal, and an app, Heimstaden “Můj domov“ (My Home), which will speed up the response to inquiries of tenants without requiring them to have to go to the client centre in person. Within our services to seniors, we want to develop the successful project “Haló, nejste sami!” (“Hello, You Are Not Alone!”), whose operation during the COVID-19 crisis was supported by psychology students from the University of Ostrava. Their assistance on the phone helped tenants over the age of seventy overcome loneliness and fear. We also intend to enhance our Senior Community Centres, and start construction of homes designed for seniors. An important step towards better environmental protection will arrive in the form of increased investment in block insulation and speeding up the process. Within five to seven years, we plan to stop using coal-furnace heating and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Our tenants will be provided attractive and comfortable homes which will also be environmentally-friendly. Heimstaden is a strong and trustworthy partner. Which of the activities your company plans to introduce will be the most remarkable and most obvious on the Czech rental-housing market? In my opinion, we put a much greater emphasis on close contacts and communication with tenants, who are always the primary focus of our interest. We want to permanently increase the quality of our facilities and their locations, and so improve our tenants’ quality of life. And we are also struggling to make Heimstaden be perceived as a provider of truly Friendly Homes. Text a foto: Heimstaden Czech s.r.o. Thank you for the interview. www.heimstaden.cz POSITIV 2/2020 ǀ 21