How did you get into the Relocation Industry?
I came over to Belgium as an Expat wife, although I had always worked before that. After a year or so of endless coffee mornings, golf and school committees I felt the need to get back in the saddle.
Languages not being my strong point, I sought out companies I had heard were run by English mother tongue staff. This was in 2000 – one of the busiest years for incoming expats in Belgium. One of the first companies I contacted was Map. The interview was rigorous – can you drive and are you available? Since I could answer yes to both those questions, I was in. So began my career in relocation. I was keen, hard-working and eager to please, so, after my training I got 6 incomings in my first month – it’s called being thrown in at the deep-end! As most of my previous work experience had been in management, I quickly moved into a management role and 7 years later continue to enjoy the challenge of developing the company.
What was your motivation to start a company in Brussels?
I can’t claim to have started the company, but I can claim to have worked in it longer than any of its founders. The company was started by 3 expat women on a very small scale in 1992. It was clear that relocation services were desperately needed in Brussels, with large numbers of mult-nationals setting up their European headquarters in the city and expats moving in, in their thousands, mainly without relocation services. The language difficulties and bureaucracy made it a difficult task.
Now we provide services throughout Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. We find that many of our clients prefer to have one point of contact for all relocation activities in the Benelux, as internally this is how they are organised.
Do you work with UK providers?
We do work with UK providers, but we haven’t found the service delivery model very different. There is a lot more domestic relocation (moves within the UK) than we have in the Benelux. As all our countries are so small, there tends to be more commuting if someone has an in-country move. There is a bigger tendency to rent property than buy, although this has increased significantly over the past few years. We have a big choice of rental properties available and can easily show 10 houses or 15 apartments in a day, which all meet their basic requirements. The most significant difference in the UK is probably the guaranteed purchase schemes for people who are moving and have a house to sell. This is not common here.
Education seems to be a more challenging task in the UK, with many clients using educational consulting to advise on the different types of curriculum and secure places at desirable schools. Schooling is always one of the most important considerations for a family, but in Brussels there is a wide choice and reasonable availability. Luxembourg is not so easy, as there are always long waiting lists at the popular schools.
How different are your markets from that of the UK?
In Brussels there are a huge number of rental properties – from apartments to town houses, through to large suburban houses. In general the houses are larger than in the UK and set in more land.
The standard lease we use, if possible, is the 9 year lease, which is encoded in law. There are indemnities if you leave in the first 3 years, but often after that if you leave, there is no penalty as long as the correct notice period is given. Leases are commonly in the name of the tenant. The law in Belgium has traditionally favoured the landlord, but that is slowly changing. There are reasonably clear landlord/tenant responsibilities. Before the start of lease there is an inspection at which the tenant and landlord’s experts are present. A detailed report is produced on the state of the property, with photos (usually around 30 pages), more if it is a larger property. This merely documents the state of the property and in no way obliges the landlord to fix any of the defects noted. At the end of the lease the tenant is supposed to return the property in the same state. At the exit, calculations are made for the damages and wear and tear costs and the guarantee will not be released until all monies have been paid. Guarantees are normally bank guarantees or a company letter of guarantee.
Do you see any emerging trends?
Lower allowances
More younger families or couples without kids, to avoid the school fees
Commuters
More spousal career requirements
More companies outsourcing their global relocation function
What are your greatest current challenges?
Finding the time and resources to complete all the RFQ’s which come in. It’s amazing how each one can be just different enough, so that we have to give a tailored response to what are essentially the same questions. I do understand the need for them, though and when you win the business, it makes it all worthwhile.
Constant changes in immigration law – it is always challenging to keep well informed of all the changes in the three countries where we provide services. Often when a change is implemented, the government staff are not well informed and tend to interpret it in different ways, so that there are inconsistencies in how the law is applied.