Versatile housing services

A good customer experience is the core of our business ethos. VVO conducts regular customer satisfaction surveys. 92 per cent of respondents would recommend VVO Group as a landlord.

According to the latest survey, the average period of tenancy was 5.9 years. Our long-term customer relationships are based on systematic apartment maintenance, diverse resident benefits and active residents' associations.

Housing services and enhancing the service experience are today's watchwords. Trouble-free, easy and effortless living rise to the fore when rental accommodation is evaluated – as well as an increasing desire for extra services. We have developed additional services and better rental living on the basis of customer satisfaction surveys, applications and market analyses. Quality assurance in property management has also been developed and introduced, as per our tenants’ wishes.

To strengthen our corporate image as a provider of versatile apartments and housing services, we introduced a new rental housing brand – Lumo – alongside VVO.

Lumo is a market-led rental concept that offers next-generation services for rental housing and gives tenants even more freedom to choose. Apartments under the VVO brand adhere to the cost-price principle for determining rents.

We sought competitive bids to provide broadband and television services to our customers, and signed agreements with DNA and Elisa. These agreements cover close to 39,000 households, which means that, from now on, the rents for almost all Lumo and VVO apartments will include an even faster 10 megabit broadband connection. The agreements came into force on 1 January 2015 and will be valid until the end of 2019.

Our Customer Service Centre opened in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area in April, and went nationwide on 10 June 2014. The centre serves both new and existing customers. A further 11 VVO Home Centres also provide local service all across Finland.

Close cooperation with residents

Cooperation with residents has been developed over the entire 45-year span of VVO's operations. This cooperation gives residents the opportunity to influence their living arrangements and any practices concerning them. Some 2,100 residents have been nominated to specific posts in residents' associations, such as chairs and vice chairs of house committees, experts, and building security managers. In addition, there are approximately 3,200 house committee members.

VVO's Board of Residents is the highest body representing all VVO residents and includes a member and deputy member from each VVO Home Centre area. The Board of Residents is elected for a two-year term, and Jarmo Natunen from Helsinki was chairman in 2014.

VVO receives direct feedback from customers through the Board of Residents. The Board may take a stand on topical housing policy issues and provides an active panel of tenants whose opinions will be used to support VVO's decisions on housing policies. The Board of Residents also has the opportunity to issue a statement on the criteria for rent determination.

VVO actively engaged in cooperation with residents during the financial year. Nationwide tenant events were organised at Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki and Särkänniemi amusement park in Tampere. A total of about 20,000 people took part in the events of 2014. A total of 11 economic theme evenings were organised for residents during 2014.

VVO present an annual award to the residents of a VVO house for exemplary community spirit and management of their shared living environment. Hippoksentie 31–33 in Vasaramäki, Turku was chosen as VVO House of the Year 2014.


Case

 

60 per cent of all VVO tenancy agreements now signed electronically

About 60 per cent of all new VVO tenancy agreements were signed electronically. Customers now have the flexibility to deal with agreements outside office hours or from another municipality without having to visit a VVO office. An average of 1,000 tenancy agreements are signed per month.

New customers and transferring tenants have been able to sign their tenancy agreements online at vvo.fi since the end of 2013.

This online service enables customers to do business with us easily and effortlessly, whenever and wherever they like.

 

Resident structure

Young people (16–24 years)8 %
Singles (25–44 years)18 %
Singles (45–54 years)9 %
Couples without children12 %
Child families9 %
Single parents10 %
Seniors (55–64 years)17 %
Seniors over 65 years18 %

Financial occupancy rate

%20102011201220132014
Financial occupancy rate98.6098.7098.7098.5098.10

Rental housing applications by type of apartment

1 room 1,746 units1,746
1 room and 2 rooms 5,183 units5,183
2 rooms 3,339 units3,339
2 rooms and 3 rooms 2,225 units2,225
3 rooms 1,665 units1,665
3 rooms and 4 rooms 942 units942
4 rooms+ 685 units685