Mød vores partnere – Vest Administrationen
Vest Administrationen and Waitly share a focus on specialization and digitalization
Specialization, transparency, trust, and digitalization are key values at Vest Administrationen, a property management company focused on optimizing work for both its employees and customers. Waitly and Vest Administrationen have worked together since 2019. We visited their beautiful office in Hellerup to gain an insight into their daily work.
Vest Administrationen is located in an elegant white villa on a quiet residential street in Hellerup. The company originally managed associations in Vesterbro, which inspired its name. As more associations joined, the business continued to grow. Today, Vest Administrationen manages almost 400 cooperative housing associations, owners' associations, and courtyard associations, and has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The office is peaceful, and everyone works with focus. This is also one of Vest Administrationen's values: concentrating fully on the task at hand.
“We try to place each task where it can be handled best, so people are not working on a thousand different things, but can concentrate on doing one thing as well as possible.”
Timmy Lund, Head of Administration, lawyer, and partner at Vest Administrationen
Timmy Lund explains that, for example, they have an employee who works exclusively with heating accounts. When you prepare 300 heating accounts every year, you become very good at it. By concentrating tasks in this way, Vest Administrationen minimizes wasted time.
This is also why Vest Administrationen does not manage rental properties, but is fully specialized in housing associations.
What is Vest Administrationen?
Vest Administrationen A/S was established in 1990.
The company manages almost 400 cooperative housing associations, owners' associations, and courtyard associations. Together, they represent more than 6,000 units.
Vest Administrationen holds two ISO certifications based on international standards. You can read more about them here.
Greater concentration means more free time
Vest Administrationen has been certified as a Great Place to Work for five consecutive years. One of the factors behind this is the high level of trust throughout the organization, which also gives employees considerable freedom.
Employees have the freedom to plan where and when they work. This has led Vest Administrationen to begin working towards a four-day working week. The company has introduced several initiatives, including focus zones and the Pomodoro method, to support efficiency and concentration. Waitly has also helped save them a considerable amount of time.
“We like to work efficiently, so it makes sense to move a time-consuming task such as waiting list management away from our desks and give it to someone who can handle it more quickly.”
Efficiency is not the only priority at Vest Administrationen. Timmy Lund emphasizes that property management is ultimately about people.
“Property management can seem quite rigid because it involves law and finance. But it is also about psychology and communication because we are dealing with people.”
Housing associations have very different needs, and these needs are better met when employees specialize in specific areas, Timmy Lund explains.
Vest Administrationen originally managed associations in Vesterbro and also had its office there. As the number of associations and employees grew, the company moved to its current premises in Hellerup.
Digitalization and a paperless office
Timmy Lund points out that the office is completely paperless. And it is true. The desks are clear, with no binders or piles of paper that you might otherwise expect to find in an office filled with lawyers and legal professionals.
“Our approach is that everything should be stored in a system and should only exist in one place. This means that you do not have different versions of the same document. Our employees are trained in system discipline, so everyone always knows where to find what they need.”
Whenever Vest Administrationen receives physical documents, they are scanned and stored digitally. Digitalization also benefits customers by providing a clearer overview and improving the security of their information.
Timmy Lund recalls an incident involving water damage, where several documents were destroyed, including financial statements belonging to one association. Fortunately, all the documents had been scanned.
Vest Administrationen's digital workflows also meant that the company had no difficulties when employees were sent home during the coronavirus pandemic. Timmy Lund even explains that 2020 was the company's best year ever.
“The only difference was that you had to make your own coffee. Apart from that, the work continued as usual.”
Digitalization plays a major role at Vest Administrationen, with a strong focus on automating and digitalizing standard tasks. This is also why a partnership with Waitly was an obvious choice.
Digital waiting lists
Vest Administrationen had repeatedly experienced that waiting lists could be difficult and time-consuming to manage.
“People handle them in many different ways. It might be an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, or a list where people are nominated. It can take many forms. And when waiting lists are not transparent, people quickly start to believe they have been overlooked.”
Unfortunately, Timmy Lund has encountered this many times during his career in property management. Waiting lists often lack transparency, which is why it can be beneficial to let a professional administrator handle them. This helps ensure that the lists are managed correctly. For complete transparency, Timmy Lund recommends transferring the task to Waitly.
“When Waitly appeared, we simply thought: let's go for it. It provides a clearer overview, greater transparency, and makes things easier for the boards.”
Proper procedures and keeping everything in order are important at Vest Administrationen. A digital waiting list helps ensure that everything is always managed correctly.
Timmy Lund also emphasizes that it gives applicants a clearer overview of their position on the waiting list. This reduces the need for support from both administrators and boards.
“One of the things I like most about Waitly is that you can always see the position you will receive before joining a list. It is transparent and fair. It makes things easier for us, the boards, and the people looking for housing.”
