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The 41 units in Ehningen are fully publicly subsidised and will be part of the "KCD-Catella Immobilien mit sozialer Verantwortung " special AIF. "Affordable housing is hard to come by in this economically powerful region, so this project is allowing us to create an important additional proposition for single people and families who otherwise struggle on the free market," explains Florian Stiefel, investment manager at GBI Capital. "In comparison to rents on the open market in equivalent locations in the greater Stuttgart area, such as the neighbouring technology locations of Böblingen and Sindelfingen, the subsidised housing project offers tenants a sizeable expenditure advantage of around 30 to 50 percent."

In Heiligenhaus, North Rhine-Westphalia, the public AIF "KCD-Catella Nachhaltigkeit IMMOBILIEN Deutschland" is acquiring 75 apartments – of which almost 40 percent are subsidised. "A significant need for subsidised housing still exists in the tri-city area of Düsseldorf-Wuppertal-Essen," explains Simon Hübner, CEO of GBI Holding AG. This is not least true due to the location’s close proximity to the city centre, while numerous destinations for shopping, leisure and culture are nearby or readily accessible by public transport.

These acquisitions mean that the two special funds now include a total of four GBI project developments.

The apartments on the two new sites will be completed by the end of 2023, and the first tenants will be able to move into their new homes.

"It is our intention to take on social responsibility together with our investment partners," says Thomas Kübler, Head of Portfolio Management at Catella Real Estate AG. "Alongside ecological and social sustainability criteria, we also review background information on the property – such as architectural aspects relating to accessibility – to gain a comprehensive overall picture. In this regard, the projects acquired from GBI once again fully satisfy our expectations."

Catella also ensures that the properties are managed responsibly over the entire investment period and operational phase. "The four real estate projects delivered by GBI to date demonstrate the diversity of the options for developing real estate with a social component," emphasises Simon Behr, authorised representative of GBI Holding AG and managing director of GBI Capital. In the completed project in Regensburg, 36 subsidised apartments have been combined with a kindergarten with space for 74 infants.

In Kunigundenstraße in the centre of Nuremberg – just one suburban "S-Bahn" station away from the main railway station – 169 furnished apartments with an average living space of 25 square metres have been built since construction began this summer.

About the GBI Group:

The GBI Group develops hotel, residential and apartment projects. Working alone and with partners, the company has sold or placed real estate with a value of roughly 2 billion euros in Germany and Austria since its foundation back in 2001. A current focus of the project developments, with around 2,100 units, are propositions in different areas of rented housing (freely financed, subsidised, senior living, combined with services in particular from the social sector). Furthermore, the group operates, builds and develops micro- apartments for students, business travellers and private individuals under the SMARTments® brand. In the residential segment, the portfolio includes 4,811 apartment spaces in the SMARTments student segment and 274 units in SMARTments living projects, while the project list in the SMARTments business sector includes 1,327 apartments.

GBI specialises in neighbourhood developments that combine a variety of different property types. The goal is to create sustainable and liveable urban spaces. Depending on the demand within the cities, mixed-use projects integrate traditional and subsidised housing, micro-apartments, infant day-care centres, senior or assisted living, nursing care, student accommodation, serviced apartments, hotels, offices, commercial units, social services (e.g. GP, pharmacy) and local amenities.

GBI Holding AG – under whose umbrella the group of companies is organised – is a subsidiary of the Moses Mendelssohn Foundation. http://www.gbi.ag