Close cooperation with our tenants and other stakeholders is an important element in our sustainability strategy. The Fund incorporates the priorities and demands of tenants continuously and in various ways.
Tenant engagement
Tenant satisfaction
In 2015, we again conducted a tenant satisfaction survey to identify our tenants’ concerns and priorities. The survey covered topics such as the service level of the property managers, quality of the properties and the living environment. All tenants are asked to participate and last year the response rate fell to 1,902, compared with 2,186 in 2014. The overall satisfaction score remained stable at 7.3 (2014: 7.4) and outperformed the benchmark (7.0).
We use the result of the surveys to draw up improvement plans. These plans may be specific action plans for a single property or aimed at improving the overall satisfaction. In addition, we send our tenants a letter with information on the outcome of the survey and the specific actions the property manager and our financial service department plan to take to improve service levels. Tenant satisfaction is an integral part of the service level agreements with our property managers.
Managing the supply chain
In 2013, we introduced Service Level Agreements. Property managers are assessed each quarter on topics related to administrative management, technical management (including sustainability), commercial management and tenant satisfaction.
Since 2013, we have applied ‘Bewuste Bouwers’ criteria to all new projects that the Fund acquired from Bouwinvest Development. These criteria ensure that the contractor deals with the concerns of local residents, and addresses safety and environmental issues during the construction phase. Since 2014, the Fund started to include those criteria in the contracts for turn-key projects as well.
In 2015 we started a project together with IVBN and fellow fund managers to engage and assess suppliers of the Fund with a sustainability web tool. Current and future suppliers will be assessed on their sustainable commitments, policies and behavior.