This is what the Tenants' Council 2025 is concerned about

The HOWOGE Tenants' Council has entered the new year with three major concerns. It has one primary goal in mind: to better represent the interests of tenants. An interview with Tenants' Council member Holger Sykulla.

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Mr. Sykulla, how did the new year start for the Tenants’ Council?

The new year began with three major topics. One of these is the new "Network of Tenant Committees." A network established by politicians to strengthen cooperation between tenant representatives and housing associations. The goal is to promote the exchange of experiences and jointly develop solutions that benefit tenants.

To what extent are the interests of HOWOGE tenants represented here?

A total of 30 stakeholders from Berlin will be brought together. This includes the HOWOGE tenants' council and our tenant advisory boards. This allows us to represent the interests of our tenants. For the tenant representatives, this is a good opportunity to exert influence and work together to ensure secure housing provision. We believe the advisory function of this body is a great advantage, as it promotes the exchange of experiences and strengthens communication between all parties involved. For us, it's a win-win situation, as we gain insight into the working practices of other housing associations and can better contribute our ideas.

What other issues are of concern to the tenants’ council?

A major addition this year is definitely the tenant app, which will provide digital support for many tenants in the future. The tenant council was involved in its development from the very beginning. This meant testing prototypes and submitting requests for changes. HOWOGE incorporated many of these suggestions, and the result is impressive: The app is not only user-friendly but also extremely practical.

What can tenants expect from the new app?

The app is fundamentally very tenant-friendly and informative. Tenants can quickly submit their concerns to HOWOGE and communicate via the app. The app allows them to track the processing status directly. Furthermore, important information, such as utility bills or the breakdown of rent, can be viewed in the app. This saves paper and is a real step forward. The app will be further developed over time, gradually creating ever greater added value for tenants. We therefore see the app as a great asset, particularly appealing to younger people and facilitating communication.

The Tenants' Council is planning a survey among tenants this year. What is your goal with this?

The planned tenant survey is our third major focus for 2025. It is important to us to better understand the wishes and concerns of our tenants so that we can address them specifically. We plan to ask questions about the perception and content of the tenant council. At the same time, we also want to gauge tenants' satisfaction with certain aspects of their landlord, such as HOWOGE's customer service. We attach great importance to data protection and are working closely with HOWOGE and the works council to ensure a win-win implementation.

We are entering 2025 with these projects and look forward to being able to represent tenants' interests even more effectively in the future.

Thank you for the interview!