Meet our partner – Cobblestone

Meet our partner: Cobblestone

Cobblestone A/S is a full-service property management company that puts its customers first. The company is not afraid to lead the way with new technology and innovative ideas that can benefit the industry. Waitly and Cobblestone have worked together since 2019 in a partnership characterized by shared values. We spoke with Patrick Kuklinski, Director at Cobblestone, to learn more about the company, its history, and its vision.

Not a traditional property management company

Cobblestone manages and advises on all types of properties, including cooperative housing associations, owners' associations, residential rental properties, and commercial properties such as logistics facilities, warehouses, and shopping centres.

The company takes an active role in developing both its customers' businesses and its own, creating value for both parties. In this way, Cobblestone is not a traditional property management company, explains Patrick Kuklinski, Director at Cobblestone.

“We are a full-service provider. We can assist with traditional property management tasks such as rent collection, cooperative housing fees, general meetings, transfers of cooperative housing shares, property services and technical building consultancy. However, we also adapt to the industry's need and demand for development and innovation. In cooperation with our customers, we develop concepts based on our knowledge of properties and future technologies.”

This could involve making buildings intelligent and measurable through proptech, for example, to optimize the indoor climate and improve energy efficiency, Patrick Kuklinski explains.

Cobblestone has developed significantly since it was founded in 2003 as a property management company focusing on owners' associations and cooperative housing associations in Copenhagen. Today, it is one of the larger full-service property management companies in the industry.

However, Cobblestone's history remains an important part of its identity. The company is run by people who have personally experienced what it is like to serve on the board of a property. This has given Cobblestone unique insight into its customers and a strong desire to make a difference.

“Our company actually started on the other side of the table because we also served on boards and thought, ‘This could be done better.’”

Patrick Kuklinski is passionate about the industry and eager to share his experience. This is also why Cobblestone has written a book about cooperative housing, which has been cited as a reference in several court rulings.

At Cobblestone, the work is not simply about paying bills and ensuring that general meetings are held. Cobblestone aims to leave its mark on the industry and make a positive impact for its customers.

“We become deeply involved with our customers, and we want to be proactive and participate in the policy work taking place in the industry.”

Cobblestone therefore focuses on enabling its property managers to stay ahead of their tasks. This creates room for them to be proactive and dedicate sufficient time to their work.

One example is that each property manager at Cobblestone typically manages fewer associations than property managers at competing companies. Patrick Kuklinski emphasizes that their main priority is to provide excellent service and advice, rather than maximizing profits.

“When you deliver something valuable and have skilled people, you may also make money from it. That is usually how it works. But it is not our first priority. We do this because we enjoy it and because we want to make a difference. The other positive things will follow.”

Patrick Kuklinski, Director at Cobblestone

The opportunity to make an impact

Due to Cobblestone's size and its collaboration with the industry organization EjendomDanmark, the company has had several opportunities to positively influence matters for the benefit of its customers. Patrick Kuklinski describes one specific case in which Cobblestone had a significant impact.

“There was once a pavement cleaning scheme in the City of Copenhagen where property owners paid fees to the municipality for someone to sweep the streets. The problem was that no one ever saw the people who were supposedly carrying out the cleaning.”

The associations were therefore paying considerable amounts to the municipality for a service from which they received no benefit. The municipality ultimately had to repay a significant amount of money.

More specifically, property owners in the City of Copenhagen were entitled to a total repayment of DKK 64 million. You can read more about the case here.

“One of our major ambitions is to help shape the industry and the properties of our customers. We want to help set a direction that benefits our customers, the associations and the residents of the properties we manage.”

A meaningful partnership

Waitly and Cobblestone have worked together since Waitly took its first steps. The partnership is based on a shared vision of making processes easier and smarter. Cobblestone was also interested in helping Waitly enter the market.

“Waitly was a good match for our identity and values. I saw an opportunity to work with people who also wanted to do something positive for the industry, people who wanted to optimize processes and do things differently and more intelligently. That matched our values.”

Cobblestone also found that Waitly's system enabled the company to provide better customer service. The system made it easy for customers to view their position on the waiting list and register for open house events. The previous solution did not offer the same possibilities as Waitly.

“With Waitly, I saw at an early stage that there was an opportunity to create something valuable for our associations.”

Customers always come first at Cobblestone, but there were also other benefits to using Waitly. Waiting list management can be a considerable administrative burden.

Cobblestone experienced challenges with processes being handled manually and with systems that were slow and cumbersome.

“When emails had to be sent to 1,000 people on a waiting list, a computer would practically have to run for an entire day. Waitly's system can handle that much faster and more easily.”

Even though Waitly was new, Cobblestone was not afraid to try the system. The company is willing to lead the way and embrace innovation. It has also continuously contributed ideas for developing the system and its processes.

From the beginning, the partnership has been characterized by good communication and a shared interest in making processes easier and more accessible.

“At Cobblestone, we do not onboard new associations unless they are prepared to use Waitly's system to manage their waiting lists. That is the direction we are taking in the future.”