Alta Fides AG just completed the first stage of its expansion in the area of student living as the company kicked off the marketing for its first three projects in Greifswald, Erlangen and Leipzig totalling more than 500 residential units.
The properties, which will become operational by the 2009 summer semester, are being marketed under the name of YOUNIQ. YOUNIQ represents a new, future-oriented form of living for students. At the same time, it stands for a new asset type in the real estate industry that being independent of the economic situation promises attractive and safe returns for institutional investors and capital investors. Overall, Alta Fides AG will realize projects with an aggregate investment volume of more than 200 million in Heidelberg, Karlsruhe and other locations in West Germany in 2009 and 2010. For the years after 2010, the company is planning to complete between 1,500 and 2,500 residential units annually.
"As Germany's first private and national provider in this segment, Alta Fides AG develops and manages residential properties for students in all major German campus locations. Under the umbrella brand of YOUNIQ, we are simultaneously developing the real estate asset class of student living for national and international investors, this being a first-ever approach in Germany that has been neglected so far," said Rudolf Bartsch, CEO of Alta Fides AG. "YOUNIQ presents an entirely new option for students, and does not directly compete with the open housing market or the dormitory accommodations offered by student unions."
Following in-depth field research in collaboration with renowned research institutes such as Forsa, and using student test groups, Alta Fides developed a type of residence that goes clearly beyond the mere letting of apartments to students, as it picks up on the spirit and life style of contemporary student generations, and offers an optimal learning environment. YOUNIQ stands not just for urbane, elegant living that is both pragmatic and affordable, but also for a high-end management and value-added concept that includes sports and recreational options in addition to study options and career consultancy. "According to the surveys, at least one in three students belongs in the core target group of YOUNIQ, and the percentage is even higher in our target locations. We now have a precise idea of student preferences, and are therefore optimistic regarding our ability to continue to expand in the best interest of our tenants and investors," Bartsch went on to say.
What YOUNIQ has to offer to students in addition to a stylishly furnished single-bedroom apartment with built-in kitchen and bathroom, are learning lounges, counselling by YOUNIQ Scouts, and a membership in the YOUNIQ Community that permits access to the value-added concept. The apartments, measuring between 22 and 30 m², can be rented for an "all-in" rent starting at 350, depending on the location. "All-in" means: There are no extra charges, while high-end furnishing and features as well as a high-speed Internet connection are all included.
The apartments are located close to campus and enable tenants therefore to combine an individualised residence with communal, student-like living and learning. Autonomous residential units complete with their own bathrooms and fully equipped kitchenettes ensure a bespoke way of living. "The research Forsa did for us suggests that about 80% of the students deem a bathroom and kitchen facility of their own essential these being criteria that classic student dorms in particular fail to satisfy," Bartsch explained
Source: Alta Fides
