Today, the listed investor TINC and TDP, the infrastructure joint venture between Belfius and the listed investment company Gimv, launch a joint initiative called Yally, which stands for “Your Ally” or your ally. By purchasing and energetically renovating existing homes in and around central cities, Yally wants to give more people the opportunity to live comfortably and at the same time save on their energy bill. The ambition is to have 300 à Acquire 400 homes and make them more energy efficient. As a landlord, Yally offers an all-in service via a digital portal and focuses on new, user-friendly techniques. All this to make the life of the tenants as pleasant as possible and to reduce the total housing cost.
The cheapest energy is the energy you don't use. Especially now that energy prices are swinging through the roof and are putting an attack on the budgets of many families and singles. Much energy is still lost today due to poor energy efficiency in our homes. In addition, poorly insulated buildings cause 28% of emissions in Belgium. Less than five percent of all homes in Belgium meets the target that we must achieve by 2050 in the context of the climate ambitions. Replacing all these non-compliant homes with new construction is not feasible, and often not desirable.
“The rental market certainly needs a quality injection,' says Yally CEO Anneleen Desmyter. “Yally wants to be a catalyst. We want to set something in motion with a social impact. Yally faces a major challenge but we are ambitious and have the financial resources to take on our role at a rapid pace. In this way we want to contribute to a liveable and affordable rental market.”
From energy label D, E, F to A, B, C
In general, renovation is only carried out once a property changes hands, or not at all. For example, today many homes remain untouched, with the result that the Belgian patrimony is being upgraded too limited and too slowly. Many tenants are literally left out in the cold. Yally aims to make its homes 40% more energy efficient. Homes that today have an energy label D, E or F, Yally will upgrade to A, B or C, through responsible investments. The outer shell is tackled so that energy is no longer lost. The heating techniques are optimized to make the home more energy efficient. The houses also offer more quality and comfort and the total housing cost for the tenant decreases.
Landlord of the future
Yally's ambitions, however, extend further than just making existing homes more energy-efficient. Yally also wants to be the landlord of the future. The homes are being prepared with, among other things, the integration of smart technologies, such as an electronic access system. Via the online portal MijnYally.be, Yally also offers its tenants an all-in service in the field of administrative follow-up, rent payments and/or arranging repairs.
Yally wants to acquire 300 to 400 homes within two years and will focus on the Flemish diamond Antwerp-Ghent-Leuven-Brussels from the start. The first 40 residential units have now been purchased. The buildings are located in Antwerp South and in the center of Mechelen. Plans for the energetic renovation are currently being drawn up in order to carry out the works quickly afterwards. Yally strives to ensure that tenants do not have to leave their homes. If this is necessary in exceptional cases, Yally will look for solutions within its own portfolio.
Who today owns or sells one or more homes that are no longer up-to-date and for whatever reason do not want the necessary investments, will find in Yally an interesting partner to sell these homes. to do. Yally will also regularly offer energetically renovated homes for sale again in order to offer the opportunity to acquire an energy-efficient home.
Partners with ambition
The initiators are already convinced of the necessity of this initiative. All necessary resources are therefore mobilized to grow this initiative. The need is there, that much is clear.
“With a more institutional approach to the upgrading of the residential property, economies of scale and thus financial and social added value can be realized in many areas” says Manu Vandenbulcke, CEO of TINC. “Yally was founded from a long-term vision to build a high-quality, sustainable relationship with its tenants with a professional organization and experienced team. This initiative therefore fits in well with TINC's ambition as an active investor in selective and distinctive real estate segments.”
About Yally
Yally is an initiative of the listed investor TINC and TDP, the infrastructure joint venture between Belfius and the listed investment company Gimv. Yally buys homes in and around the center cities in Belgium, makes them more energy-efficient and future-proof. As a landlord of the future, Yally is committed to the comfort and reduction of the tenant's total housing costs by integrating smart technologies in the homes, reducing energy bills and an all-in service via the online portal MijnYally.be ;(www.yally.be).
TINC is a listed investment company that aims to create sustainable value by investing in the infrastructure for the world of tomorrow. TINC participates in companies that are active in the realization and operation of infrastructure and holds a diversified portfolio of participations in focus areas such as public infrastructure, energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure and selective real estate in Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland (www.tincinvest.com).
TDP - founded in 2007 as a joint venture between Belfius and Gimv - is a developer and investor in a wide range of infrastructure and related assets such as selective real estate. TDP's investment policy is embedded in a number of far-reaching social evolutions. These include the ambition to realize better public infrastructure ("Building Back Better", the transition to a low-carbon society, the digitization of society and the growing attention to care and well-being. These evolutions form the framework for TDP for investments in public infrastructure, energy infrastructure, digital infrastructure and selective real estate.
Belfius Bank & Insurance is an integrated bancassurer owned by the Belgian federal government, anchored in all segments of the Belgian economy and society: partner of 3.7 million private individuals, the self-employed and SMEs, an important player in the corporate market and lead bank in the public and non-profit sector (www.belfius.be).
Gimv is a European investment company, listed on Euronext Brussels. As a recognized market leader, Gimv works together with enterprising and innovative companies in 5 future-oriented investment domains. Gimv manages a portfolio of approximately 60 companies that together realize a turnover of EUR 3.1 billion and employ 19,000 professionals (www.gimv. com).