The pilot phase for the new tenant portal started in October. What experiences have you had so far?

Claudia Schenk (CS): After the first few weeks, we are recording a good start overall with a lot of positive feedback. Shortly after the launch, a tenant even contacted us directly and said it was so cool that we would now be offering a tenant portal. I was very pleased about that. We have also received good feedback so far from employees who work with the portal. The aim of the pilot is to gain as much experience as possible, and that is working very well so far. My first interim conclusion is therefore entirely positive.

Can you tell us something about the pilot group and how you motivated the participants to take part in the test phase?

CS: We made a selection from our real estate portfolio and wrote to tenants directly. The response was positive. We already communicate with many tenants via digital channels, especially by e-mail. It was therefore relatively easy to invite tenants to participate and convince them of the benefits of the portal. Five residential, one commercial and two mixed-use properties with heterogeneous tenant and price segments are represented in the test phase.

Where is there still room for improvement?

CS: Especially when it comes to connecting interfaces with third parties and adapting internal processes to the new circumstances. For us, but also for our platform partner, the pilot phase is uncovering new findings in this area too. And the good thing about a pilot is that we don’t make all tenants, partners and tradespeople angry all at once if something isn’t going as it should (laughs).

Why is Allreal introducing a tenant portal? And will our customers still be able to contact us by phone in the future?

CS: Our tenants will still be able to call us in the future. The portal is an addition that simplifies collaboration for both sides. If the dishwasher breaks down, for example, the tenant can file a damage report immediately, regardless of the time. This report is provided in a structured way thanks to the portal. As a result, there are fewer or no queries. Once everything is clear, the tradesperson can be called in directly and tenants can check the status in the portal at any time. This improves service quality and makes our processes more efficient.

The portal thus simplifies communication and increases accessibility. Are there any other benefits?

CS: In addition to improved accessibility, tenants also benefit from greater transparency. The latest information on planned work on the property and important dates can be viewed at any time. In the future, it should also be possible to access important documents such as leases or bills for incidental costs online. Last but not least, urgent information can also be transmitted to platform users in real time via a push notification system.

As you mentioned, the system also brings improvements on the management side. What benefits do you see?

CS: We have already talked about more efficient processing. The main aim here is to automate routine tasks such as document management and the processing of all kinds of enquiries. Clear, digital processes lead to comprehensible and well-documented processes. This helps us, for example, to manage the appointment of deputies. Our goal is to curb e-mail ping-pong. This is because we save time and minimise the effort required – by us, our partners and, above all, our tenants.

How long will the pilot phase last, or when should the portal be available to all tenants?

CS: The pilot will run until the middle of the first quarter of 2026. We will then consolidate our experience and findings again and make a final decision on its introduction. If everything is suitable, we will roll out the tenant portal for our entire portfolio later in the year.