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Press
Frankfurter Rundschau, Samstag, 12. Juni 1999
Lokale Presse, Blitztip, 28. Juli 1999
Lokale Presse, City News, Mai 2000
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Frankfurter Rundschau, Saturday, 12th June 1999
Wanted: furnished premises for short term tenancies. Heike Ruwe helps visiting professors, bank trainees and managers on training courses. From the FR series 'At Your Service'.
Some claim the service industry is sadly lacking - not in Frankfurt! With her company WohnRaumAgentur, Heike Ruwe specialises in finding temporary, furnished accommodation for her clients.
RHEIN MAIN: "If you want a job done properly, you have to do it yourself". This is the motto that Heike Ruwe has been following over the last few years. She began earning an extra income finding furnished rooms for trade fair visitors, and, although her colleagues were sceptical at first, it soon became apparent that demand was growing. Not only were single rooms desired but increasingly fully furnished accommodation, from small apartments to luxury maisonettes, and for longer periods of time. A new business was born.
Many people visiting the metropolis of Frankfurt are looking for accommodation for just a few months: for example, managers on training courses, professors who are lecturing for a semester at the university and are accompanied by family, or bank trainees who are in training at the bank's HQ.
Demand is growing for comfortable accommodation for short term tenancies. Heike Ruwe, originally from Munster, left her permanent job in the summer of 1998. Market research, a study in the loft, a telephone, a computer and a fax, a few good contacts and the agency WohnRaumAgentur was on its feet. "I really had discovered a niche market!", sums up the now 32-year-old managing director.
She sees her company's strengths in its "outstanding customer service" and "attention to detail". If a landlord decides to take advantage of what WohnRaumAgentur has to offer, first the apartment is surveyed. Then Heike Ruwe draws up a profile of the apartment, together with the specific preferences of the owner.
The most important information is later stored in a database and is regularly updated. Details about the apartment and the landlord's preferences are entered: Non-smokers only? Which direction do the balcony and patio face? What is the flat like? Are bed linen and towels provided?
Around 550 furnished apartments are currently logged in Mrs Ruwe's database. In addition to private individuals seeking accommodation, it is predominantly the larger concerns, such as Siemens, Bosch Telecom and IBM, which regularly take advantage of Mrs Ruwe's agency.
"It often happens that I have to reject apartments after having viewed them. I do not include any apartments in my range which are only just borderline. However, we can then advise the landlord on potential improvements in order to be accepted onto our books." This would seem to be a worthwhile investment since the profit from the letting of furnished apartments can be substantial. A glance at WohnRaumAgentur's price list provides us with an inkling: Single room apartments cost between 800 and 1,400 German Marks; two to three room apartments around 2,500 Marks; and four to five room apartments between 2,500 and 4,500 Marks, (excluding security deposit and procurement charge). The procurement charge is based on the length of the tenancy period and the net rent. The maximum charge is one and a half times the monthly rent.
WohnRaumAgentur also has a website. A tele-sales training course is coming up next and on 01.09.99 the agency will be moving into a new office in Frankfurt. "Then customers can come to our office where they can receive qualified advice", because the success of the business goes hand in hand with the level of customer service. So it is no surprise that the agency not only gives advice to new customers, but also a map of the area, information regarding public transport and a name sign on the door of every new home. The fact that Heike Ruwe is considering marketing her idea as a franchise company also comes as no surprise.
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Local Press, Blitztip 28th July 1999
Furnished apartments becoming increasingly popular!
Short term tenancies instead of hotel rooms: The letting of furnished apartments in the Main-Rhine area is booming. More and more business people are coming to the banking city of Frankfurt for projects, training courses and short term visits. Those who find hotel suites too expensive and impersonal for a stay of a few months, now do not necessarily have to carry out the tedious search for a furnished apartment themselves. Several companies in Frankfurt offer their services to perform this task, and the newest kid on the block is the residential lettings agency run by Heike Ruwe.
Just a phone call suffices and the 32 year-old entrepreneur starts her quest. Over 500 furnished apartments are stored in her computer, from one room apartments to luxury maisonettes, all of which she has viewed and approved of herself. "My customers are often company directors at executive level, so I cannot include mediocre flats with youth hostel décor in my range". The new home should be stylishly furnished, with bathroom and kitchen facilities in good condition. Tenant and landlord sign a tenancy agreement which is generally limited to between three and twelve months. "A big advantage for the property owners," says Heike Ruwe, "is that there is practically zero risk of troublesome tenants."
To say nothing of the net profit. For attractive one room apartments the rent can be anywhere between 800 and 1,400 Marks per month. For two / three room apartments 1,200 - 2,500 Marks. And who pays the procurement charge? "The tenant," answers Heike Ruwe, and explains her low pricing system: "I never charge more than fifteen percent of the rent, and that for no longer than ten months."
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Local Press, City News May 2000
In the right place at the right time
Heike Ruwe, who set up the firm WohnRaumAgentur in 1995 and moved her office to ATHOLON PLACE last September, has a very high opinion of CityWEST's image. Her agency works with customers from well-known national and international companies. WohnRaumAgentur finds furnished apartments for short term tenancies and offers a full service package for clients searching in and around the Frankfurt area.
For Mrs Ruwe stylish and comfortable properties in quiet areas are most appealing: which is why her business is in exactly the right place at the right time in the CityWEST complex.
Customers are impressed by the professional image given by her brand new office in the equally professional environment of CityWEST. And she personally also likes the image of the new development.
Is she looking for premises in the CityWEST area for her customers? "Of course! I have a lot of international customers who are looking for somewhere to stay in Frankfurt for short to medium periods of time. For these people CityWEST, with its superior properties and proximity to the city centre and Messe, is ideally situated."
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