Why would a Berlin property manager open an office in Berlin?
Especially when it’s only 7 km from our headquarters?
It’s simple: We want to be even closer to the action! Close to the people and the property.
This allows us to respond quickly. We’ve also been able to bring on board our FM partner Mütra for the neighborhood office. This ensures the entire operational service chain is represented.
Today, an attractive inner-city residential neighborhood must offer added value to win over discerning tenants.
We can’t do that alone—but with the best partners. With Quantum Immobilien AG, this can be well organized and operated.
And here’s the result: a neighborhood with over 500 apartments and added value:
For residents, the property features a modern gym, an exclusive car-sharing fleet of ID3 – VW Buzz vehicles in Carré Mobility’s own underground garage, a bike repair shop, a Pilates studio, and a café.
This way, people have everything in one place: local amenities, subway and commuter rail, and their own neighborhood mobility.
Worth mentioning here is the successful neighborhood development by OFB Projektentwicklung and Instone Real Estate Group SE.
We are grateful for the groundwork and are now bringing it to life.
After all, that’s why houses are built.
Frederik Mante-Peek
https://www.smyles.berlin/
Last but not least, the great Strategis team: Luise Dominick, Stefan Prill, Benjamin Schlosser, and all silent supporters!
A key takeaway from the discussion: The commissioning of a building should be understood as a distinct, complex project phase. “We distinguish between technical, commercial, and organizational commissioning,” said Berkan Gülen.
“Common sources of error on the technical side include missing utility meters or systems that have not been properly inspected. From a commercial perspective, the handover of contracts and guarantees is a sticking point. Often, warranty management has not been commissioned, and we must ensure that insurance policies are in effect as close to the start of operations as possible. With regard to organizational commissioning, it is important to clarify responsibilities and interfaces, define escalation paths and communication channels with tenants, and clearly establish how the defect rectification process—from reporting a defect through its resolution to clearance—should be structured. Furthermore, many problems can be avoided through preliminary inspections and regular
inspections during the construction phase.”
Markus Grabau emphasizes: “With the handover to property management, we also assume operational responsibility. If safety-related defects arise, this often leads to a refusal of acceptance. And if contractually fixed move-in dates cannot be met, this results in high costs, especially for commercial tenants. In contrast, cosmetic defects are less problematic, as they can be addressed during ongoing operations.”
Early Involvement of Property and Facility Managers as a Success Factor According to the panelists, a key structural shortcoming lies in the lack of standardized responsibilities among the stakeholders involved. While collaboration usually works in practice, friction can still occur. Clear responsibilities and defined processes could significantly increase efficiency and quality.
A recurring theme in the panel discussion was the late involvement of property and facility managers. This often leads to avoidable operational problems. Early integration, on the other hand, enables realistic budget planning, reliable operating cost calculations, and better coordination of technical requirements.
“The ideal time to bring in a property manager is right at the groundbreaking,” says Sascha Nöske. “Good preparation is everything, even when it comes to calculating operating costs. The utility cost calculation must not only be plausible in the first month but also still add up in the twelfth month. That only works if you already know the property well.”
Berkan Gülen confirmed this from the asset manager’s perspective: “We involve property managers early on, partly so we can establish realistic property budgets and ensure a smooth handover. We need to identify deviations from the calculations early on so we can take corrective action.”
Markus Grabau noted: “In practice, as property managers, we are sometimes only brought in a few months before completion—which is clearly too late. The facility manager could also mitigate many technical issues if they were involved earlier, ideally about three months before completion.”
Jürgen Hau emphasized: “It is important to ensure that the necessary data and documents are available in a timely manner. This applies above all to maintenance contracts that are apportionable.”
Tenants at the Center of the Initial Operational Phase
The first few months after completion are particularly sensitive, also from the tenant’s perspective. Defects, technical problems, or organizational shortcomings have a direct impact on satisfaction and cash flows.
“The tenant expects a property that works, regardless of whether it’s a warranty issue or not,” said Jürgen Hau. Delays could quickly lead to rent reductions and reputational damage. “Construction delays also pose a particular challenge. They can prevent comprehensive inspections from being carried out—at best, only partial inspections. The result: The scheduled move-in date cannot be met—with all the consequences that entails: temporary housing that must be organized at short notice, and belongings that need to be stored.”
Structured onboarding is also crucial, especially for large residential projects with many simultaneous move-ins. “Handing over a hundred or two hundred apartments at the same time is a major logistical undertaking,” explained Sascha Nöske. “Without clear processes, chaos quickly ensues. Access routes, in particular, are a bottleneck. That’s why we work with fixed move-in dates, including time slots. We also have to explain the building systems to the tenants on the one hand, and on the other hand ensure that they are operational and that consumption data can be read.”
The discussion made it clear: early involvement of the relevant service providers, structured processes, and clear responsibilities are key levers for minimizing friction losses and achieving the planned targets for rental income, operating costs, and energy consumption.
