Annual Report 2020

28 Investment Properties

in € million

 

 

 

As of Jan. 1, 2020

52,736.6

Additions due to business combinations

123.0

Additions

605.1

Capitalized modernization costs

1,114.5

Grants received

–19.6

Transfer to property, plant and equipment

–10.7

Transfer from property, plant and equipment

12.8

Transfer from down payments made

42.2

Transfer from real estate inventories

14.2

Transfer to real estate inventories

–88.2

Transfer from assets held for sale

2.4

Transfer to assets held for sale

–298.1

Disposals

–217.6

Net income from fair value adjustments of investment properties

3,719.8

Revaluation of assets held for sale

78.2

Revaluation from currency effects

257.2

As of Dec. 31, 2020

58,071.8

 

 

As of Jan. 1, 2019

43,490.9

Additions due to business combinations

3,202.9

Additions of right-of-use assets (IFRS 16) due to first-time application

217.9

Additions

983.9

Capitalized modernization costs

1,117.6

Grants received

–14.2

Other transfers

–2.8

Transfer from property, plant and equipment

11.1

Transfer to property, plant and equipment

–3.3

Transfer from real estate inventories

5.4

Transfer to real estate inventories

–21.8

Transfer from assets held for sale

4.5

Transfer to assets held for sale

–316.1

Disposals

–158.2

Disposals due to changes in scope of consolidation

–4.8

Net income from fair value adjustments of investment properties

4,131.5

Revaluation of assets held for sale

59.7

Revaluation from currency effects

32.4

As of Dec. 31, 2019

52,736.6

 

 

Accounting Policies

When Vonovia acquires properties, whether through a business combination or as part of a separate transaction, the intended use determines whether such properties are classified as investment properties or as owner-occupied properties.

Investment properties are properties that are held for the purpose of earning rental income or for capital appreciation or both and are not owner-occupied or held for sale in the ordinary course of business. Investment properties include undeveloped land, land and land rights including buildings and land with hereditary building rights of third parties. Investment properties also include right-of-use assets from rented, developed and undeveloped land (hereditary building rights) and from rented residential and commercial properties (interim leasing) within the meaning of IFRS 16 that are classified as investment properties.

Investment properties are initially measured at cost. Related transaction costs, such as fees for legal services or real estate transfer taxes, are included in the initial measurement. If properties are purchased as part of a business combination and if the transaction relates to a “business,” then IFRS 3 applies as far as recognition is concerned. Transaction costs are recognized as an expense.

Following initial recognition, investment properties are measured at fair value. Any change therein is recognized as affecting net income in the income statement. During the land or project development phase, reliable measurement at fair value is often not possible due to the lack of marketability and the lack of comparable transactions. In such cases, the cost model is continued until a reliable measurement can be carried out, but at the latest until the property in question is completed.

Investment properties are transferred to property, plant and equipment when there is a change in use evidenced by the commencement of owner-occupation. The properties’ deemed cost for subsequent measurement corresponds to the fair value at the date of reclassification.

The values as of December 31, 2020 include assets of € 425.4 million (2019: € 376.1 million) that are measured using the acquisition costs model, as their fair value cannot be measured reliably on a continuing basis.

The additions in 2020 include € 435.5 million (2019: € 493.0 million) in production costs for new construction activities.

The total amount reported for investment properties as of December 31, 2020, includes right-of-use assets from recognized hereditary building rights and interim leasing arrangements in the amount of € 1,433.2 million (2019: € 1,224.8 million). In this respect, we also refer to chapter [E42] Leases.

The majority of € 1,431.9 million is attributable to right-of-use assets from hereditary building rights (2019: € 1,223.7 million). This includes right-of-use assets of € 76.3 million (2019: € 78.1 million) relating to the Spree-Bellevue (Spree-Schlange) property in Berlin. The property has been leased from DB Immobilienfonds 11 Spree-Schlange von Quistorp KG until 2044. The lease agreement includes an obligation to pay compensation for use as agreed by contract. At the end of 2028, each fund subscriber is entitled to return his share to the property fund at a fixed redemption price. If all of the fund investors make use of this option, Vonovia is obliged to acquire the property at a fixed purchase price after deduction of borrowings. If more than 75% of the shares are returned in this way, Vonovia has a call option for the purchase of all fund shares.

For the investment properties encumbered with land charges in favor of various lenders, see chapter [E40] Non-derivative Financial Liabilities.

Directly Attributable Operating Expenses

Rental income from investment properties amounted to € 2,288.5 million (2019: € 2,077.9 million). Operating expenses directly relating to these properties amounted to € 260.4 million during the fiscal year (2019: € 218.7 million). These include expenses for maintenance, ancillary costs that cannot be passed on to the tenants, personnel expenses from the caretaker and craftsmen’s organizations, and income from the capitalized internal expenses. The capitalized internal expenses relate to the work performed by the Group’s own craftsmen’s organization and the management costs for major modernization projects.

Long-term Leases

Vonovia as a lessor has concluded long-term leases on commercial properties. These are non-cancelable leases. The minimum future lease receipts from these leases are due as follows:

in € million

Dec. 31, 2019

Dec. 31, 2020

 

 

 

Total minimum lease payments

124.2

89.5

Due within 1 year

29.2

25.7

Due in 1 to 5 years

58.6

53.8

Due after 5 years

36.4

10.0

 

 

Fair Values

The value of the entire portfolio of residential properties was determined on the basis of the International Valuation Standard Committee’s definition of market value. Portfolio premiums and discounts, which can be observed when portfolios are sold in market transactions, were not included. Nor were time restrictions in the marketing of individual properties. Vonovia determines fair value in accordance with the requirements of IAS 40 in conjunction with IFRS 13.

Vonovia, in principle, measures its portfolio on the basis of the discounted cash flow (DCF) method. Under the DCF methodology, the expected future income and costs of a property are forecasted over a detailed period and discounted to the date of valuation as the net present value. The detailed period for the German portfolio is 10 years. Due to the particular market situation in Austria and in order to reflect the extensive Austrian rent restrictions, a sales scenario involving the recurring sales of apartments is assumed for a subportfolio. In order to present these sales in the correct accounting period, the detailed period for the Austrian DCF model has been extended to 100 years.

The income in the DCF model mainly comprises expected rental income (current in-place rent, market rents as well as their development) taking vacancy losses into account. In Austria, it also includes sales revenues from a subportfolio. The expected rental income is derived for each location from the latest rent indices and rent tables (including Value AG, IVD, the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKÖ)) as well as from studies on spatial prosperity (Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), Prognos, Value AG, Bertelsmannstiftung, the Austrian statistical office, Statistik Austria, etc.). The expected sales revenues are derived from historical sale prices as well as market data (e.g., WKÖ, EHL).

On the cost side, maintenance expenses and administrative costs are taken into account. In Germany, these are taken into account in accordance with the II. Berechnungsverordnung and inflated in the reporting period. The II. Berechnungsverordnung (BV) is the German Regulation on Calculations for Residential Buildings in accordance with the Second Housing Construction Law, which stipulates how economic viability calculations for homes are to be performed. These cost approaches are also transferred to the Austrian market. Further cost items are, for example, ground rents, non-allocable ancillary costs, rent losses and, in Austria, selling costs. Modernization measures carried out in the housing stocks are factored in by decreasing the current maintenance expenses and adjusting market rents.

On this basis, the forecast cash flows are calculated on an annual basis and discounted to the date of valuation as the net present value. In addition, the terminal value of properties in the German portfolio at the end of the ten-year period is determined using the expected stabilized net operating income and again discounted to the date of valuation as the net present value. The discount rate applied reflects the market situation, location, type of property, special property features (e.g., hereditary building rights, rent restrictions), the yield expectations of a potential investor and the risk associated with the forecast future cash flows of the property. The present value calculated in this way is reconciled to the market value by deducting standard market transaction costs, such as real estate transfer taxes, agent and notary costs. As the detailed period in the Austrian DCF model has been extended to 100 years in order to present the sales scenarios in the correct accounting period, no terminal value is applied here.

The commercial properties in the portfolio are mainly small commercial units for the supply of the local residential environment. Different cost approaches are used to those for residential properties, and discount rates were adjusted to reflect the market specifics.

The valuation is, in principle, performed on the basis of homogeneous valuation units. These meet the criteria of economically cohesive and comparable land and buildings. They include:

  • Geographical location (identity of the microlocation and geographical proximity)
  • Comparable types of use, building class, construction year class and condition of property
  • Same property features such as rent restrictions, hereditary building rights and full or part ownership

The Vonovia portfolio also contains project developments, existing areas with construction potential and land areas with inheritable building rights granted. Project developments are measured using the cost approach until the construction work is complete. If the project is then to be managed within Vonovia’s own portfolio, it is measured at fair value using the DCF procedure described above once the construction work is complete. Existing areas with construction potential are valued using a comparable method on the basis of the local standard land value evaluated. Deductions are taken into account in particular for the readiness for construction and potential use as well as for likelihood of development and the development situation. Inheritable building rights granted are valued in the same way as the property portfolio using a DCF method. The input parameters here are the duration and amount of ground rent and the value of the land.

Vonovia determined the fair values of its real estate portfolio in Germany and Austria as of December 31, 2020 in its in-house valuation department on the basis of the methodology described above. The property assets are also assessed by the independent property appraiser CBRE GmbH. The market value resulting from the external review deviates from the internal valuation result by less than 0.1%.

For the portfolio in Sweden, the result of the external appraiser Savills Sweden AB in cooperation with Malmöbryggan Fastighetsekonomi AB was applied. The fair values for the Swedish portfolio were also calculated using a DCF method that is generally comparable to the procedure used by Vonovia, as explained above, but takes account of specific features of the Swedish real estate market. These include, by way of example, the reflection of the inclusive rents received (including costs for heating and water, among other things) and the explicit inclusion of expenses billed as ancillary expenses in Germany, for example, as operator costs on the owner’s side.

The contractually fixed remuneration for the valuation report is not linked to the valuation results.

The right-of-use assets from leasehold contracts are recognized at their fair value. The fair value of the leasehold contracts corresponds to the present value of the standard market leasehold fee payments up until the end of the term of the hereditary building right in question. These are calculated based on the current amount of the ground rent. In order to calculate the present value, the leasehold fee payments are discounted using a property-specific interest rate.

The real estate portfolio of Vonovia is to be found in the items investment properties, property, plant and equipment (owner-occupied properties), real estate inventories, contract assets and assets held for sale. The fair value of the portfolio comprising residential buildings, commercial properties, garages and parking spaces, project developments, as well as undeveloped land and any inheritable building rights granted was € 58,910.7 million as of December 31, 2020 (Dec. 31, 2019: € 53,316.4 million). This corresponds to a net initial yield for the developed land of 2.9% (total portfolio including Sweden and Austria; Dec. 31, 2019: 3.1%). For Germany, this results in an in-place-rent multiplier of 25.4 for the portfolio (Dec. 31, 2019: 23.5) and a fair value per m2 of € 2,099 (Dec. 31, 2019: € 1,893). The in-place-rent multiplier and fair value for the Austrian portfolio come to 25.5 and € 1,570 per m2 (Dec. 31, 2019: 24.7 and € 1,455 per m2), while the values for Sweden come to 17.4 and € 2,090 per m2 (Dec. 31, 2019: 17.1 and € 1,899 per m2).

The material valuation parameters for the investment properties (Level 3) in the real estate portfolio are as follows as of December 31, 2020, broken down by regional markets:

 

Valuation results*

Valuation parameters investment properties (Level 3)

Regional market

Fair value (in € million)

thereof assets held for sale (in € million)

thereof owner-occupied properties (in € million)

thereof investment properties (in € million)

Management costs residential (€ per residential unit p.a.)

Maintenance costs total residential (€/m2 p.a.)

Market rent residential (€/m2 per month)

Market rent increase residential

Stabilized vacancy rate residential

Discount rate total

Capitalized interest rate total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec. 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berlin

7,815.5

2.4

7.9

7,805.1

261

14.00

7.88

1.8 %

1.1 %

3.9 %

2.1 %

Rhine Main area

4,934.0

22.2

6.7

4,905.2

282

13.97

9.33

1.8 %

1.1 %

4.6 %

2.9 %

Rhineland

4,213.1

20.0

7.0

4,186.1

280

13.71

8.22

1.7 %

1.9 %

4.9 %

3.3 %

Southern Ruhr area

4,483.3

28.3

8.6

4,446.5

276

12.69

7.00

1.5 %

2.6 %

4.8 %

3.5 %

Dresden

4,044.5

6.4

6.5

4,031.6

247

14.08

6.74

1.7 %

2.2 %

4.8 %

3.3 %

Hamburg

3,087.2

6.7

3.8

3,076.7

267

14.36

8.46

1.6 %

1.3 %

4.5 %

3.1 %

Munich

2,496.3

5.1

4.4

2,486.8

271

13.97

11.41

1.9 %

0.6 %

4.4 %

2.7 %

Stuttgart

2,319.9

6.4

2.1

2,311.4

282

14.61

9.20

1.8 %

1.2 %

4.7 %

3.1 %

Kiel

2,535.7

1.4

3.4

2,531.0

268

14.67

7.42

1.7 %

1.7 %

4.9 %

3.4 %

Hanover

2,053.6

0.9

2.3

2,050.4

269

14.00

7.45

1.7 %

2.1 %

4.8 %

3.3 %

Northern Ruhr area

1,893.8

8.9

6.2

1,878.7

278

13.22

6.43

1.3 %

3.3 %

5.2 %

4.2 %

Bremen

1,318.3

1.1

2.0

1,315.2

274

13.27

6.94

1.8 %

2.1 %

4.8 %

3.2 %

Leipzig

1,054.8

10.3

1.2

1,043.4

262

14.87

6.70

1.7 %

2.9 %

4.9 %

3.3 %

Westphalia

1,028.7

3.7

1.8

1,023.2

273

13.17

7.25

1.5 %

2.0 %

4.9 %

3.6 %

Freiburg

696.8

0.2

2.0

694.5

278

15.22

8.35

1.7 %

1.0 %

4.5 %

2.9 %

Other strategic locations

3,198.2

6.1

5.0

3,187.0

278

14.09

7.64

1.6 %

2.3 %

4.9 %

3.5 %

Total strategic locations

47,173.7

130.1

70.9

46,972.8

270

13.85

7.74

1.7 %

1.9 %

4.7 %

3.1 %

Non-strategic locations

609.2

12.9

1.1

595.2

274

14.72

7.58

1.6 %

2.7 %

4.8 %

3.2 %

Vonovia Germany

47,782.8

142.9

72.0

47,567.9

270

13.86

7.74

1.7 %

1.9 %

4.7 %

3.1 %

Vonovia Sweden**

6,219.4

0.0

0.0

6,219.4

n.a.

n.a.

10.46

2.0 %

0.9 %

5.3 %

3.7 %

Vonovia Austria**

2,832.2

17.5

50.2

2,764.5

n.a.

19.43

5.61

1.4 %

2.4 %

5.4 %

n.a.

*

Fair value of the developed land excl. € 2,076.3 million for development, undeveloped land, inheritable building rights granted and other; € 1,221.1 million of this amount relates to investment properties. The investment properties balance sheet item also includes the present value in connection with payments for right-of-use assets in the amount of € 298.9 million.

**

The valuation methods used for the portfolio in Austria and Sweden provide valuation parameters that are only partially comparable. Administrative and maintenance expenses are not shown separately.

 

Valuation results*

Valuation parameters investment properties (Level 3)

Regional market

Fair value (in € million)

thereof assets held for sale (in € million)

thereof owner-occupied properties (in € million)

thereof investment properties (in € million)

Management costs residential (€ per residential unit p.a.)

Maintenance costs total residential (€/m2 p.a.)

Market rent residential (€/m2 per month)

Market rent increase residential

Stabilized vacancy rate residential

Discount rate total

Capitalized interest rate total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec. 31, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berlin

7,450.0

1.7

5.9

7,442.4

258

14.10

7.79

1.8 %

1.2 %

4.3 %

2.5 %

Rhine Main area

4,432.0

12.1

5.6

4,414.3

278

14.14

9.10

1.8 %

1.1 %

4.9 %

3.2 %

Rhineland

3,822.7

5.8

7.4

3,809.5

275

13.78

8.00

1.7 %

1.9 %

5.1 %

3.5 %

Southern Ruhr area

3,850.5

7.5

3.9

3,839.1

272

12.69

6.76

1.5 %

2.6 %

5.1 %

3.8 %

Dresden

3,584.8

0.0

6.1

3,578.7

243

14.19

6.74

1.7 %

2.2 %

5.2 %

3.7 %

Hamburg

2,762.2

6.4

2.7

2,753.1

263

14.37

8.22

1.6 %

1.3 %

4.7 %

3.3 %

Munich

2,283.3

6.2

3.8

2,273.3

266

14.03

11.22

1.9 %

0.6 %

4.6 %

2.9 %

Stuttgart

2,122.9

1.5

2.0

2,119.3

276

14.48

9.07

1.8 %

1.3 %

5.0 %

3.3 %

Kiel

2,101.9

0.0

2.6

2,099.3

263

14.58

7.22

1.7 %

1.7 %

5.3 %

3.8 %

Hanover

1,873.5

3.4

2.2

1,868.0

264

14.08

7.29

1.7 %

2.0 %

5.0 %

3.5 %

Northern Ruhr area

1,696.9

6.7

5.3

1,684.9

273

13.24

6.26

1.2 %

3.4 %

5.5 %

4.5 %

Bremen

1,182.3

0.0

1.8

1,180.5

268

13.21

6.74

1.8 %

2.1 %

5.1 %

3.5 %

Leipzig

958.3

10.6

1.1

946.7

258

14.78

6.52

1.8 %

3.2 %

5.1 %

3.5 %

Westphalia

903.2

0.0

1.1

902.1

268

13.20

6.95

1.5 %

1.9 %

5.1 %

3.8 %

Freiburg

657.2

0.0

1.9

655.3

274

15.05

8.21

1.7 %

1.0 %

4.6 %

3.0 %

Other strategic locations

2,899.8

2.8

4.2

2,892.8

273

14.09

7.39

1.6 %

2.3 %

5.2 %

3.7 %

Total strategic locations

42,581.5

64.7

57.6

42,459.3

266

13.88

7.57

1.7 %

1.9 %

4.9 %

3.4 %

Non-strategic locations

694.7

64.6

2.0

628.1

269

14.56

7.34

1.7 %

2.4 %

5.2 %

3.4 %

Vonovia Germany

43,276.2

129.3

59.5

43,087.4

266

13.89

7.57

1.7 %

1.9 %

4.9 %

3.4 %

Vonovia Sweden**

5,642.0

0.0

0.0

5,642.0

n.a.

n.a.

9.76

2.0 %

0.9 %

5.7 %

3.7 %

Vonovia Austria**

2,654.9

0.4

0.0

2,654.4

n.a.

19.25

5.38

1.6 %

1.6 %

5.6 %

n.a.

*

Fair value of the developed land excl. € 1,743.4 million for development, undeveloped land, inheritable building rights granted and other; € 1,058.2 million of this amount relates to investment properties. The investment properties balance sheet item also includes the present value in connection with payments for right-of-use assets in the amount of € 294.6 million.

**

The valuation methods for the portfolio in Austria and Sweden use valuation parameters that are only partially comparable. Administrative and maintenance expenses are not shown separately.

The inflation rate applied to the valuation procedure comes to 1.6%. For the Austrian portfolio, a sales strategy with an average selling price of € 2,172 per m2 was assumed for 53.8% of the properties.

Net income from the valuation of investment properties amounted to € 3,719.8 million in the 2020 fiscal year (Dec. 31, 2019: € 4,131.5 million).

Sensitivity Analyses

The sensitivity analyses performed on Vonovia’s real estate portfolio show the impact of value drivers dependent upon market developments. Those influenced are in particular the market rents and their development, the amount of assessed administrative and maintenance expenses, cost increases, the vacancy rate and interest rates. The effect of possible fluctuations in these parameters is shown separately for each parameter according to regional market in the following.

Interactions between the parameters are possible but cannot be quantified owing to the complexity of the interrelationships. The vacancy and market rent parameters, for example, can influence each other. If rising demand for housing is not met by adequate supply developments, then this can result in lower vacancy rates and, at the same time, rising market rents. If, however, the rising demand is compensated for by a high vacancy reserve in the location in question, then the market rent level does not necessarily change.

Changes for demand in housing can also impact the risk associated with the expected payment flows, which is then reflected in adjusted amounts recognized for discounting and capitalized interest rates. The effects do not, however, necessarily have to have a favorable impact on each other, for example, if the changes in the demand for residential real estate are overshadowed by macroeconomic developments.

In addition, factors other than demand can have an impact on these parameters. Examples include changes in the portfolio, in seller and buyer behavior, political decisions and developments on the capital market.

The table below shows the percentage impact on values in the event of a change in the valuation parameters. The absolute impact on values is calculated by multiplying the percentage impact by the fair value of the investment properties.

 

Change in value in % under varying parameters

 

Management costs residential

Maintenance costs residential

Cost increase/inflation

Market rent residential

Market rent increase residential

Stabilized vacancy rate residential

Discounting and capitalized interest rates total

Regional market

-10%/10%

-10%/10%

-0.5%/+0.5% points

-2%/+2%

-0.2%/+0.2% points

-1%/+1% points

-0.25%/+0.25% points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec. 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berlin

0.6/-0.6

1.9/-1.9

7.2/-7.1

-2.2/2.2

-10.1/13.1

1.5/-1.7

14.3/-11.1

Rhine Main Area

0.4/-0.4

1.3/-1.3

3.2/-3.4

-2.3/2.3

-7.4/8.7

1.0/-1.5

9.3/-7.8

Rhineland

0.5/-0.5

1.6/-1.6

3.7/-3.8

-2.3/2.3

-7.1/8.3

1.6/-1.6

8.6/-7.4

Southern Ruhr Area

0.8/-0.8

2.1/-2.1

4.6/-4.7

-2.4/2.5

-7.2/8.4

1.9/-1.9

8.1/-7.0

Dresden

0.7/-0.7

2.1/-2.1

4.7/-4.8

-2.5/2.5

-7.4/8.5

1.8/-1.8

8.5/-7.3

Hamburg

0.5/-0.5

1.7/-1.7

4.0/-4.2

-2.3/2.3

-7.7/9.1

1.2/-1.6

9.4/-7.9

Munich

0.3/-0.3

1.1/-1.1

3.5/-3.6

-2.1/2.1

-8.2/9.8

0.7/-1.5

10.9/-8.9

Stuttgart

0.5/-0.5

1.5/-1.5

3.3/-3.5

-2.3/2.3

-7.3/8.6

1.3/-1.5

9.0/-7.6

Kiel

0.7/-0.7

2.1/-2.1

4.3/-4.4

-2.4/2.3

-7.1/8.2

1.8/-1.8

8.1/-7.0

Hanover

0.6/-0.6

1.9/-1.9

4.2/-4.3

-2.4/2.4

-7.2/8.4

1.7/-1.7

8.5/-7.2

Northern Ruhr Area

0.9/-0.9

2.6/-2.6

4.6/-4.7

-2.6/2.6

-6.3/7.1

2.0/-2.0

6.5/-5.8

Bremen

0.7/-0.7

2.0/-2.0

5.0/-5.1

-2.4/2.4

-7.7/9.0

1.8/-1.8

8.9/-7.6

Leipzig

0.7/-0.7

2.2/-2.2

5.0/-5.0

-2.4/2.5

-7.4/8.6

1.8/-1.8

8.5/-7.2

Westphalia

0.7/-0.7

2.1/-2.1

4.2/-4.3

-2.3/2.3

-6.8/7.8

1.7/-1.8

7.7/-6.7

Freiburg

0.5/-0.5

1.7/-1.7

4.0/-4.1

-2.4/2.4

-8.0/9.4

1.2/-1.6

9.7/-8.1

Other strategic locations

0.6/-0.6

1.9/-1.9

3.9/-4.0

-2.4/2.4

-6.9/7.9

1.6/-1.7

7.9/-6.8

Total strategic locations

0.6/-0.6

1.8/-1.8

4.6/-4.7

-2.3/2.3

-7.8/9.3

1.5/-1.7

9.6/-8.0

Non-strategic locations

0.7/-0.7

2.4/-2.3

6.5/-6.4

-2.5/2.5

-8.5/10.2

1.9/-1.9

10.8/-9.0

Vonovia Germany

0.6/-0.6

1.8/-1.8

4.6/-4.7

-2.3/2.3

-7.8/9.3

1.5/-1.7

9.6/-8.0

Vonovia Sweden*

n.a.

n.a.

1.4/-1.4

-3.0/3.0

-1.3/1.3

0.8/-1.2

7.5/-6.5

Vonovia Austria*

n.a.

0.3/-0.3

0.3/-0.4

-0.3/0.3

-0.9/1.0

0.9/-0.9

4.7/-4.3

* The valuation methods for the portfolio in Austria and Sweden use valuation parameters that are only partially comparable.
Administrative and maintenance expenses are not shown separately.

Contractual Obligations

In connection with major acquisitions, Vonovia entered into contractual obligations or assumed such obligations indirectly via acquired companies, among other things in the form of Social Charters, which could limit its ability to freely sell parts of its portfolio, increase rents or terminate existing rent agreements for certain units and which, in the event of a breach, could give rise to substantial contractual penalties in some cases. Moreover, when acquiring and financing some of the properties in the portfolio, Vonovia also entered into an obligation to spend a certain average amount per square meter on maintenance and improvements.

After a certain period of time, these obligations often cease to apply either in full or in part. As of December 31, 2020, around 133,000 residential units in Vonovia’s portfolio were subject to one or several contractual restrictions or other obligations.

  • Sale restrictions: As of December 31, 2020, around 63,000 units were subject to sale restrictions (excl. occupancy rights). Around 18,000 of these units cannot be freely sold before a certain date. Sale restrictions like these include a full or partial ban on the sale of residential units and provisions requiring the consent of certain representatives of the original seller prior to sale.
  • Preemptive rights on preferential terms: Around 6,000 units from the “Recurring Sales” subportfolio can only be sold if the tenants are offered preemptive rights on preferential terms. This means that Vonovia is obliged to offer these tenants the residential units at a price that is up to 15% below the price that could be achieved by selling the units in question to third parties.
  • Restrictions on the termination of rent agreements: Around 95,000 residential units are affected by restrictions on the termination of rent agreements. These restrictions include notice to vacate for personal use and notice to vacate for appropriate commercial utilization. In some cases, units are covered by a lifelong ban on the termination of rent agreements.
  • Expenses for minimum maintenance and restrictions on maintenance and modernization measures: Around 56,000 apartments are subject to minimum maintenance obligations. Because minimum maintenance obligations have been exceeded in recent years, the weighted average of the annual necessary spending on maintenance and modernization has changed to € 6.52 per m2. Furthermore, around 49,000 units are affected by restrictions relating to modernization and maintenance measures, which are designed to prevent changes in socio-economic tenant composition (i.e., to limit luxury modernization). Some of the restrictions to prevent luxury modernization have been agreed on a permanent basis.
  • Restrictions on rent increases: Restrictions on rent increases (including provisions stating that “luxury modernization” measures are subject to approval) affect around 42,000 units. These restrictions could prevent Vonovia from realizing the rent that could potentially be generated from the units in question.

In many cases, in the event that all or part of a portfolio is transferred or individual residential units are sold, the aforementioned obligations are to be assumed by the buyers, who are in turn subject to the obligation to pass them on to any future buyers.

Under structured financing programs, Vonovia is subject to fundamental restrictions on the use of excess property disposal proceeds, such restrictions being particularly in the form of mandatory minimum capital repayments. Excess cash from property management is also restricted to a certain extent.

All contractual obligations that have a material impact on the valuation were taken into account accordingly.

Fair Value
Fair value is particularly relevant with regard to valuation in accordance with IAS 40 in conjunction with IFRS 13. The fair value is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction.
Maintenance
Maintenance covers the measures that are necessary to ensure that the property can continue to be used as intended over its useful life and that eliminate structural and other defects caused by wear and tear, age and weathering effects.
Modernization Measures
Modernization measures are long-term and sustainable value-enhancing investments in housing and building stocks. Energy-efficient refurbishments generally involve improvements to the building shell and communal areas as well as the heat and electricity supply systems. Typical examples are the installation of heating systems, the renovation of balconies and the retrofitting of prefabricated balconies as well as the implementation of energy-saving projects, such as the installation of double-glazed windows and heat insulation, e. g., facade insulation, insulation of the top story ceilings and basement ceilings. In addition to modernization of the apartment electrics, the refurbishment work upgrades the apartments, typically through the installation of modern and/or accessible bathrooms, the installation of new doors and the laying of high-quality and non-slip flooring. Where required, the floor plans are altered to meet changed housing needs.
Recurring Sales
The Recurring Sales segment includes the regular and sustainable disposals of individual condominiums from our portfolio. It does not include the sale of entire buildings or land (Non-core Disposals). These properties are only sold as and when the right opportunities present themselves, meaning that the sales do not form part of our operating business within the narrower sense of the term. Therefore, these sales will be reported under “Other” in our segment reporting.
Rental Income
Rental income refers to the current gross income for rented units as agreed in the corresponding lease agreements before the deduction of non-transferable ancillary costs. The rental income from the Austrian property portfolio additionally includes maintenance and improvement contributions (EVB). The rental income from the portfolio in Sweden reflects inclusive rents, meaning that the amounts contain operating and heating costs.
Vacancy Rate
The vacancy rate is the number of empty units as a percentage of the total units owned by the company. The vacant units are counted at the end of each month.