ØENS Rådgivningshus  is not just any advisory firm.

The company was founded by a married couple and grew from 7 to 70 employees in a short period of time. Now, ØENS and Waitly have entered into an exciting partnership.

Waitly collaborates with a range of companies and organizations to increase awareness of the company and expand the platform. At Waitly, it is important that these companies share Waitly’s values and vision for transparent and digital solutions. One of them is ØENS, a property management company with a particular focus on advising cooperative housing associations and owners’ associations.

ØENS: A family-owned company with strong values

On a sunny day, two Waitly employees, Christian and Caroline, visited ØENS to talk about the company. ØENS is located on Amager in a large building with plenty of space. We were warmly welcomed by Bjørn Weber, Director and Partner at ØENS Ejendomsadministration.

A meeting room had been booked for the occasion, but it did not take long before Bjørn objected: “This feels too formal,” and we moved to another room. This describes the atmosphere at ØENS very well: informal and welcoming. It is also something Bjørn emphasizes when talking about ØENS:

“You could certainly call ØENS a family-owned company. The company was founded by Kenneth, who is a lawyer, and his wife Ida, who is now responsible for HR. It all started in a former paint shop in Kastrup. Kenneth wanted to become self-employed in his local area. Every day, after finishing work at the law firm where he was employed in the city centre, he went to renovate the premises so he could open his own law firm.”

There were several cooperative housing associations in the local area, and they soon became aware of the newly established company. As many of them needed help with administration, this gave the business momentum.

Bjørn joined the company in 2011. He is a trained property manager and has extensive experience in the industry.

“I met Ida and Kenneth, and we just clicked immediately. I am probably the slightly more pessimistic one, while Ida and Kenneth are more optimistic. It actually works very well. You need both the people who can spot the holes in the cheese and the people who run out and say, ‘Hey, here is a new cheese. Let’s take a look at it.’”

What is ØENS?

https://oadv.dk/

ØENS is a partnership and business community consisting of ØENS Advokatfirma, ØENS Ejendomsadministration, and ØENS Virksomhedsadministration.

ØENS provides professional advice when you need a lawyer or require help managing, operating, and developing a property, a cooperative housing association, an owners’ association, or a company.

ØENS has more than 70 employees specializing in all areas of law as well as property management, operations, and development.

From seven to 70 employees

In 2012, ØENS moved into a larger office, where the company is still located today. At the time, only seven employees were packing moving boxes in Kastrup. Today, ØENS has more than 70 employees specializing in all areas of law as well as property management, operations, and development.

Although the company has grown and continues to expand, it remains committed to its history and the close relationships between employees, which form part of ØENS’ DNA.

“Ida and Kenneth are almost like the mother and father, and I am probably the crazy uncle,” Bjørn laughs, while Rikke, Communications Officer at ØENS, who is also attending the meeting, nods.

“We are extremely close to one another here in the company. There was a time when we also attended confirmations, weddings, and similar events. We do not do that quite as much now that we have grown. But we are still friends across the organization, and you can feel that in the way we work together.”

Kenneth’s vision of contributing to the local community also remains an important part of ØENS’ values. ØENS supports local associations on Amager through sponsorships and is happy to contribute to educational programmes and internships.

There is room for everyone at ØENS. The company employs people in job training programmes and senior employment schemes, as well as trainee legal secretaries, students, and trainees.

“We want to work across generations and collaborate across different professional areas. That is also why the combination of ØENS Advokatfirma, ØENS Ejendomsadministration, and ØENS Virksomhedsadministration makes so much sense. We have a culture where, if you are struggling with something, you simply go over to a colleague and ask for help.”

You quickly get the impression that ØENS is a workplace where everyone respects one another. It is not a traditional, old-fashioned law firm where senior partners do not have lunch with junior employees. In fact, you might not realize that ØENS is full of lawyers. The atmosphere is relaxed, and few people wear ties or suits.

“If the dishwasher has finished and you need a cup for your coffee, you empty the dishwasher, regardless of whether you are a lawyer, student assistant, or director. If you came here for lunch on a random day, you would not know who was who. You can only tell who the lawyers are if they have just been to court. Then they are a little more formally dressed.”

A company owned by its employees

One of the things that contributes to ØENS’ flat hierarchy is that it is an owner-managed company that wants to share ownership with its employees.

ØENS has therefore established an employee-owned company that allows employees to become co-owners. Bjørn explains that their goal is for employees to own 25 percent of the company.

ØENS and Waitly: A meaningful partnership

ØENS wants to do things differently and challenge the traditional perception of a dusty law firm filled with binders. ØENS supports digitalization and transparency, which made a partnership with Waitly an obvious choice.

The partnership arose from some of the challenges ØENS Ejendomsadministration frequently encountered when taking over the administration of an association’s waiting lists. There can be many different types of lists, including divorce lists, lists for children from the property, and apartment merger lists. These may have been managed in very different ways.

“When we take over the administration of an association, the waiting lists are often the most difficult part to transfer. Something is almost always lost during the handover, especially when the waiting lists have been managed manually.”

As a property manager, you must ensure that everything is handled correctly, both legally and ethically. Bjørn explains that digitalization and clear legal rules can help ensure this.

Problems can therefore arise when processes are handled manually and do not follow consistent principles. Bjørn describes how they have occasionally received calls from people who, for one reason or another, were not transferred to the waiting list.

“If the waiting lists are not properly managed, it also affects us as administrators. I believe we should be guardians of proper conduct because we are responsible for the homes and finances of many people. A person’s home is an incredibly important part of their life. I believe we should guarantee that everything is handled properly.”

In general, Bjørn believes that digital waiting lists solve several problems. They make administration easier and help people looking for housing find cooperative housing associations.

“As I see it, Waitly represents a democratization of the cooperative housing market, and I think that principle is beautiful.”

The partnership between Waitly and ØENS is based on shared visions and values. Through the partnership, even more cooperative housing associations will gain access to digital waiting lists, making everyday life easier for both boards and people looking for housing.