S4-2 – Procedures for Engaging with Consumers and End-Users Regarding Impacts

Vonovia actively involves its customers in decision-making and activities through quarterly customer surveys conducted by an external service provider. The Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), based on 25 individual questions, measures customer satisfaction. This index is specifically tailored to Vonovia and is therefore not comparable to other customer satisfaction analyses or indices. The CSI also evaluates the effectiveness of collaboration with customers, allowing them to provide positive or negative feedback, which we use to respond and adapt accordingly.

The surveys address topics such as service and product quality (e.g., apartment amenities, noise levels, safety and cleanliness in the residential environment and housing estates), brand perception, customer loyalty, and overall satisfaction. Feedback helps us refine customer care, respond to customer needs, and assess maintenance, modernization measures, and repair activities for buildings, outdoor areas, and neighborhoods. The results are then analyzed by all of our operational departments. Measures are then derived based on customer feedback, implemented and reviewed at the neighborhood level to further improve the quality of service and quality of life.

Ongoing dialogue with tenant and consumer protection organizations on an ad hoc basis are also particularly important to us so that we can address and respond to tenant interests in a consolidated and targeted manner. This process is focused not only on dialogue with the central top-level associations, the German Tenants’ Association, the Austrian Tenants’ Association and the Swedish Tenants’ Union, but is also implemented at regional or local level with tenants’ associations and neighborhood advisory councils in particular. Tenants can also communicate directly with Vonovia employees during tenant meetings, modernization meetings, or through on-site caretakers. The Management Board and our Corporate Communications team (Public Affairs) lead exchanges at the central level, while Vonovia’s regional managers handle local contact. Interactions with political and administrative bodies also ensure customer concerns are brought to our attention.

We take as many requests and suggestions from tenants, cities and municipal authorities into account as possible when planning our neighborhood measures. We therefore inform them of our plans ahead of time, in addition to inviting them to discuss projects and take an active role in shaping them (for example, at information events, neighborhood walks, through our caretakers and neighborhood managers, participation mailboxes or tenant consultations).

In addition to engaging with tenant and consumer advocacy organizations, we maintain contact with welfare service providers and other charitable organizations and associations. Dialogue and resulting collaborations help us understand the concerns of specific groups, such as older people and those at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and translate these insights into tailored offerings. This applies especially to individuals with refugee backgrounds.