Temporary Property Management: The Art of Interim Repurposing
Regularly, the Ghent-based real estate developer Fenixco breathes new life into existing buildings and sites, transforming them into high-end residential real estate. Unfortunately, waiting for the necessary permits often means delays before construction or renovation can begin. That’s why Fenixco partners with Interim Vastgoedbeheer, a company that manages vacant properties and provides them with temporary, often creative uses.
How does this work in practice? Fenixco gave Benedikt De Witte, Sales Manager at Interim Vastgoedbeheer, the floor.
“Our company name says it all: we manage real estate, ad interim. We are not brokers, nor a sales or rental agency, but we manage properties and sites while awaiting their final repurposing. We protect the property from the risks associated with vacancy and give it a temporary, yet meaningful, use.”
“We mainly work for cities, municipalities, institutions, and developers. Often, these are buildings set to be demolished and replaced with new construction. We take care of the property while the client handles the necessary permits. That’s exactly what we’re doing for Fenixco. Currently, we manage several homes in Oudenaarde for them, which they purchased to develop a new construction project.”
“We transform the vacant properties we manage into temporary homes, studios, pop-up locations, or creative hubs. The possibilities are endless.”
Sustainable Hands-On Approach, Without Fuss
“We have been working with Fenixco for about three years now. Like Interim Vastgoedbeheer, Fenixco highly values sustainable business relationships. We knew Fenixco’s Jannie Zwaenepoel from previous collaborations.”
“Working with Fenixco is a pleasure, not just a purely business relationship. Fenixco, despite its small team, manages to achieve great things with their projects. Similarly, Interim Vastgoedbeheer operates with a compact team and shares a hands-on attitude.”
“Our philosophy is to work with contacts rather than contracts. We approach each other in a friendly and flexible manner. We know exactly what the other stands for. This allows us to work efficiently towards a common goal and resolve many matters with just a phone call, without unnecessary fuss.”
From Coffee House to Nail Salon
Just like Fenixco, Interim Vastgoedbeheer always takes into account the context and neighborhood when repurposing real estate projects. Therefore, when determining the interim use, Benedikt and his colleagues consider the local needs.
“For example, if we manage a warehouse in an area where parking spaces are scarce, we might convert part of the warehouse into a parking lot. We also collaborate with Garrincha, an indoor football concept. They are always looking for large spaces where they can set up indoor football fields for the local community.”
“Other buildings in our care might be turned into studios. For this, we work with art schools as well as individual artists. In Beringen, for instance, we’re running a project where we converted an old school site into pop-ups, ranging from a coffee shop and antique store to a nail salon and someone who makes skateboards and surfboards.”
“Not infrequently, we give a traditional location a very alternative use, resulting in an interesting symbiosis.”
Home, Garden, Tree…
Interim Vastgoedbeheer also works with temporary residents, who find housing with us at lower prices than the market typically offers.
“These are mainly young starters, but also people who do not adhere to the traditional home-garden-tree lifestyle and value their freedom. In return, we expect them to take care of the property as a good tenant would and to be flexible when the owner wants to start renovations. If possible, we offer these residents alternative housing in other vacant properties. Some people have been living in properties managed by Interim Vastgoedbeheer for ten years now.”
“We are also sometimes contacted by location scouts looking for specific places for film shoots.”
Film Sets and Monasteries
It’s not always about ordinary houses; Benedikt often visits the most unique locations.
“Think of old libraries, castles, and monasteries. These are places where beautiful things can be realized. Film and television producers have also found their way to us. For example, on behalf of the government, we manage the American Pavilion from Expo ’58, where the TV show De Droomfabriek was filmed.”
“Even when a property is in such poor condition that temporary occupancy or a pop-up location is not an option, Interim Vastgoedbeheer ensures proper management.”
“Sometimes we work with police and emergency services looking for training locations. We also manage vacant land, like a large plot in Ghent where a public function development will be realized in the future. There used to be allotments there, but when the land was no longer used, the sheds were squatted. After relocating these squatters to more humane conditions, we coordinated the cleanup of the site, fully fenced the area, and placed a residential container where a caretaker now lives.”
From Squat to Spotless
The concept of temporary property management comes from the Netherlands, where it’s known as the anti-squat sector. The name is quite literal.
“In the Netherlands, there are many organized squatters. Interim Vastgoedbeheer is part of the Gapph group, which specializes in vacant property management in the Netherlands.”
“Although squatting is less common in Belgium, it still happens. Especially in cities like Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels, there is an active squatter scene. Squatters enjoy the right to home peace, which takes precedence over other rights. Once a squatter occupies your building, you no longer have the right to freely access your own property as the owner.”
“Preventing squatting is one of the reasons our sector exists, but our main goal is to relieve the property owner of the burden. Managing a property on a daily basis involves many small maintenance and repair tasks. These are minor actions that a tenant would typically handle. Major and overdue maintenance remains the owner’s responsibility. Of course, we keep in mind that the property will eventually be demolished. For instance, we will repair a roof leak, but we won’t replace the entire roof.”
Relationship Management
Benedikt has been with Interim Vastgoedbeheer for 12 years, which is part of an international group.
Like project development at Fenixco, the job of managing temporary uses of properties is all about relationship management. Good relationships with suppliers, owners, residents, and the local community are key to a successful real estate project or temporary occupancy.
“The three property managers at Interim Vastgoedbeheer are constantly on the road and visit all the properties under our management every three weeks. These are primarily contact moments with the temporary residents, so we know each other well and ensure smooth follow-up when there are questions or needs from users or owners.”
“I enjoy being part of the entire journey, from the old property, through its temporary use, to the final new project that Fenixco ultimately realizes.”
Same DNA, Same Vision. Forward!
“We appreciate the collaboration with Fenixco because we share a similar DNA—solution-oriented and hands-on. We are already looking forward to the realization of Fenixco’s new construction project in Oudenaarde.”
