"Landlords are not always the bad guys".

In an interview, Vermietet.de CEO Jannes Fischer talks about the tight real estate market, the record exit at his start-up and the question of how to continue a start-up within a larger company.

May 11, 2021 was a reason for Jannes Fischer to celebrate. on that day, his start-up Vermietet.de went to the Munich-based Scout24 Group. Reportedly, it was the largest proptech exit in Germany. Unlike many other founders, however, Fischer stayed on board after the takeover and wants to build up his start-up even further.

Mr. Fischer, with your platform Vermietet.de, you want to make life easier for real estate owners. Why are you entering such a complicated and fragmented market?

Because I know from my own experience that it is very complicated for landlords to manage a residential property. I don't mean large commercial operators, but people who rent out a few units. I started managing my grandparents' properties years ago and quickly saw that there was immense potential there. That's how I decided to start Vermietet.de.

Today, landlords don't have the best reputation; especially in areas with competitive housing markets like Berlin, they often attract a lot of criticism. Wouldn't a start-up that makes life easier for tenants make more sense?

I think this narrative is fundamentally wrong. Many private landlords use real estate to provide for their own old age. Of course, they also want to earn money with it. But that doesn't mean they behave unfairly toward their tenants. On the contrary, most of them work well with them.

What exactly does Vermietet.de offer landlords?

Our offer starts with simple functions like rent receipt control. That sounds simple, but if landlords don't have to check it themselves every month, it saves a lot of time, especially if you rent out several properties. We also help with service charge accounting and the legally compliant preparation of contracts. Tasks and contacts can also be managed and maintained via the platform, and much more.

ImmoScout24 then took over your start-up in 2021. How did you come together with Scout24?

We have a common vision: We want to make complicated processes in the real estate market more digital, more transparent and thus simpler. For example, we want our users to be able not only to manage existing tenancies, but also to rent out their properties directly. ImmobScout24 is the best partner for this. Together, we create a central contact point for landlords.

And then you simply approached the Scout Group and introduced yourself, or did they approach you?

The real estate industry is highly networked, and many market participants know each other. We had already worked successfully with ImmoScout24 in the past on the topic of rentals. We discovered that we share the same vision and values.

Many founders say goodbye to their company after such an exit. Why not you?

I am driven by vision, there is still a lot to do. I believe that managing housing more efficiently can make at least as important a contribution to ending the housing shortage in Germany as building new homes. The partnership with the Scout24 Group brings us a big step closer to this vision.

And ImmoScout24 will also let you implement this vision? Or do you now have to coordinate every process on a small scale with headquarters?

Not at all. We are still an independent limited company, with our own team and our own office. So we have plenty of legroom. In addition, we have the opportunity to benefit from central processes and synergies.

On the other hand, what does ImmoScout24 hope to gain from you?

We are a fast-growing company; landlords now manage over 500,000 units via our platform. And we are benefiting from a generational change in the market. Digital natives are slowly taking over ownership in many places. Of course, they have no desire for complicated Excel tools. That's a great opportunity.

Thank you very much for the interview.

Personal details: Jannes Fischer founded Zenhomes in 2016. The start-up became Vermietet.de and Upmin after being acquired by Scout24. Previously, Fischer worked at Foodpanda and Rocket Internet, among others. As an investor, he is involved in Scaling Spaces, Flagship Founders and Bullfinch, among others. Since 2020, he has been a board member at the German Proptech Initiative. Fischer studied International Business Administration at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management.