Professional Background

Rentmore, Co-Founder (Belgium): 2015 – Present

Innclusive, Manager (Belgium): 2013 – 2014

Brussels Business Flats, Area Manager (Belgium): 2000 – 2013

Career Insider

Q: What events led you to found Rentmore?

A: I have been working in this interesting sector for many years. I love the international nature of our business, we meet people from all over the world.

After having worked many years for another rental company, I felt the need for a new adventure. I wanted to continue in this sector but with my own company. So, we founded Rentmore about three years ago; in order to be able to provide new and high-quality furnished apartments we made a partnership with two project developers known for their quality standards. Thanks to this cooperation, we currently manage around 400 furnished quality apartments in Brussels and Antwerp.

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Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to move into the serviced apartments sector?

A: For me there are two major goals in our sector. First, we try to offer solutions/accommodation that make expats feel as close to home as possible. Having the advantage of working with our partner project developers, we search for top locations and we strive for a quality product that meets the needs of our tenants. Second, the service we give to our tenants. We aim to make the difference with our service. We want to be there for our tenants and for all their questions. Rentmore is their first point of contact. That can be for technical assistance, cleaning service, questions about public transport, paper work, etc. The continuous improvement of our service is central in Rentmore’s philosophy.

Industry Insider

Q: How do you think the global mobility industry has changed over the years?

A: People are searching more and more for a fast, flexible and quality accommodation solution. There are more players on the serviced apartments market, the offer has become bigger. Most people looking for temporary furnished accommodation really do their homework in advance. People know, in general, more what they want, and what is important for them. And due to the offer on the market, they can be more selective in their choice.

Q: What aspect of your work is likely to keep you up at night?

A: I sleep quite well, but if I need to mention something it would be situations/issues that are out of our hands. We have a high-quality product, as well the residence as the apartments. But yet there are always things that can happen in a big residence. Imagine that suddenly the garage door has a technical issue and is out of order when people need to leave for work or airport, not a pleasant situation but we depend on the building manager who is in charge of the common areas of the residence. Luckily these are rather exceptional cases.

Q: What is the most important strategic tip you can give to companies needing apartments for expats?

A: In my opinion it is very important to identify the needs of each individual. These needs can vary a lot from client to client. You have single expats, expats that come with their family or in couple. The situation of the expat often determines his needs. Our younger public usually looks for accommodation in a lively and vibrant neighborhood, while an expat coming with his family might be looking for a rather calm and green area with an international school in the vicinity. However, you can speak of recurring and important requests such as safety and proximity to public transport.

Visionary Insider

Q: How can global mobility practices with respect to renting and property get better in the next 5 years?

A: We can not ignore the fact that consciousness with regard to the climate is extremely current and a lot of people are rightly involved. The result is the growth of electric cars and the use of bicycles and city bikes. As a provider of serviced apartments we need to make sure that our residences are equiped with sufficient charging stations for electric cars, with secured bicycle parking and lobbing for city bikes at the municipality. Furthermore it is a necessity to keep up with the newest trends and expat needs. That is a continuous process that we have to follow very closely.

Q: What more can be done to improve current global mobility practices to benefit talents on the move?

A: In our case it would be providing the best possible accommodation so these talents can fully concentrate on their professional tasks. As mentioned before, there are new trends we have to take into account. We give as much feedback as possible to our partner project developers in order to foresee the residences with the necessary equipment. For example, the presence of smartboxes (bingme boxes), camera-protected buildings, secured bycicle parkings, etc.

Q: What are the major developments you currently see happening in the industry, and how do you feel about them?

A: There is a growing expectation of an optimal price/quality balance. As I mentioned before, expats search for a flexible and quality solution for their accommodation. All their needs need to be fulfilled, respecting their budget. Let’s consider this as a positive thing, as it encourages us to keep up the good work and offer the best possible accommodation combined with the best possible service.

Either/Or…

Short-term or long-term assignment? Long-term assignment
Airbnb or serviced apartments? Serviced apartments
Excel or global mobility software? Global mobility software
Lump-sum or flex-ben? Flex-ben
Facebook or LinkedIn? LinkedIn
Outlook or Gmail? Gmail
Taxi or Uber? Uber
iOS or Android? iOD
Mac or PC? mac
Computer or tablet? Computer
Work hard or play hard? Both

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Robbie Vercarre - Co-Founder, Partner and Manager - Rentmore