ca management services

CA Management Services are one of the biggest player’s in their sector – and alongside CA Ventures they have ambitions plays for the UK marketplace.

Ahead of their free to attend webinar focused on using technology to manage and design buildings (click to view) we heard from Pierre Melhado – Managing Director of Build to Rent in Europe:

Pierre, CA Management Services are a firm born out of CA Ventures – tell us a little about the organisation and how the Management Services arm came about?

CA Ventures launched in 2004 as an investor of student housing communities near large universities across USA. During the last financial crisis, CA lead the way in core-infill, pedestrian high-rise development. Simultaneously, CA Ventures diversified its portfolio by entering the multifamily and senior housing markets. CA Management Services was formed to support the development pipeline of CA Ventures and to support the need for institutional quality third party management. Our team proudly and successfully oversees a £10 billion portfolio across the globe, providing outstanding experiences to over 30,000 residents.

Why was the UK such an attractive location to move into?

The fundamentals for BTR investing in the UK are very attractive. There is a housing shortage due to a supply and demand imbalance. Many of the regional cities are experiencing employment growth and simultaneously the number of owner-occupied homes has decreased, which contributes to the supply imbalance. BTR addresses the continually increasing need for housing and fulfils the demand for professionally managed, amenity-driven communities. In addition, BTR provides a long-term steady income stream for investors. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

You’re primarily working in the Build to Rent, Student and Retirement Living sectors – so what’s your USP in comparison to others in the marketplace?

We develop and manage apartment communities that provide experiences that exceed resident’s expectations. We do this by incorporating technology, health and wellness, sustainability and most importantly prioritising our residents. Having an in-house innovation team allows us to be agile and forward thinking, with an adaptable set of skills and services where we can offer custom solutions for the market. We use our experience-backed expertise to create value throughout an asset’s lifecycle by closely collaborating with our clients & partners to deliver the perfect product-market fit, with the resident experience in mind.

You pride yourselves on offering a best-in-class experience – what’s your secret to creating a community and real value where people live?

By putting people first in every decision that we make. Our platform is all about an investment in what’s best. Our passion is to deliver results and our people make it happen. Yes we invest heavily in technology, revenue management, amenities and much more, but most importantly we invest in our people.

Technology is obviously something embedded into CA Management’s plans – give us a few examples of how your experience and expertise in using tech within property management has enhanced the lives of those living in the property?

We use top-of-the-line software for resident engagement, which allows us to build a vibrant and engaged community. Our app-based software promotes easy living and helps to create a true sense of community. Making life easier through digital access to keyless entry, package management, amenity space booking, online fitness classes & community gatherings, service requests, visitor access, and so much more. A resident can access all the features of their community with the touch of a button, there is no longer a need to call someone or wait for the office to be open to accommodate their request.

Creating the right infrastructure has allowed us to utilise smart technologies through the Internet of Things (IoT), allowing for smart security, intelligent temperature control, bluetooth activated access, and ambient lighting. This concept of things being reactive to their surroundings, versus just acquiring data, is gaining traction. For example, the lights in your apartment automatically turning on when you wake up or flashing to remind you that you have 15 minutes before you have to leave for work.

What changes do you see the current Covid-19 situation having on real estate? Do you see any big changes coming to what you’re doing?

It is true that from an investment perspective there is currently a higher cost of debt; However, BTR has a track record of performing better than other sectors in real estate and the demand is still very high.

In terms of technology, it is more important now than ever for developers to choose the right infrastructure and network during the design phase, since there will be a bigger demand for the use of virtual and augmented reality to facilitate the lettings process.

Currently we see a need for investing in holistic solutions to encourage social distancing, whilst being mindful of the health & wellness challenges that arise from this physical separation. We will need to create more instances of togetherness to solve for isolation, especially as we are seeing more people working from home.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the need for adaptability within our BTR communities. While we cannot predict the future, we can proactively build strategies to increase our long-term resilience.

Finally, for those reading – who ideally are you looking to meet and work with?

At CA Management Services, we are focused on improving the overall resident experience, creating operating efficiencies for property management, and driving NOI for investors whilst maintaining a focus on corporate social responsibility. We look forward to sharing with and learning from others in BTR, as well as connecting with other companies that may benefit from our well-established property management services. Whether it be pre-development consulting, third-party management, or general data sharing, let us be your partner and sell your vision.

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