DWS acquires two care sites from Cureus

Cureus, a portfolio holder specializing in inpatient care properties that is building new for its own portfolio and actively manages it, is selling the care sites in Preußisch Oldendorf and Buchholz to the institutional real estate fund DWS Health Care I, which is managed by DWS. The asset deal was completed by a notary this year and the transfer of ownership took place recently. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Christin M. Büttner, Member of the Executive Board of Cureus and responsible for real estate transactions at the company: "We would like to thank the DWS team and all those involved in the transaction for the pleasant cooperation and the successful transaction. Once again, this is proof that modern and energy-efficient new-build properties are of interest to professional investors even in the current situation of the nursing home market. In addition to the sale of complete locations, we continue to focus on the individual sale of nursing apartments. We will continue to use the liquidity we have gained to implement our project pipeline."

Markus Wickenträger, Head of Portfolio Management European Real Estate at DWS, commented: "With the acquisition of the two care properties, we are investing in modern, energy-efficient and long-term leased properties in a socially relevant market segment. The locations have established operator structures and combine high building quality with long-term use. They are thus in line with our claim to identify real estate investments with stable usage prospects and sustainable quality for our investors. The investments represent a successful and strategic further development of our Heath Care fund."  

The property is the compassio retirement home at Bremer Straße 9 in 32361 Preußisch Oldendorf (North Rhine-Westphalia). The site was completed in 2022 according to Cureus' system approach in accordance with the KfW 40 standard. Since then, it has been leased on a long-term basis to the care specialist compassio and has been successfully in operation. The new building has 84 places for inpatient and short-term care as well as service facilities such as a residents' restaurant with fresh kitchen, a hairdresser, a pedicure, a fireplace room, a care and wellness bathroom and a laundry. The gross floor area is around 4,800 square meters.

The property is located at Soltauer Straße 56 in 21244 Buchholz (Lower Saxony). The operator here is also the care specialist compassio with a long-term lease agreement. The construction was completed in 2017 according to Cureus' system approach in the KfW 40 standard, and since then operations in Buchholz have also been running successfully. The senior citizens' residence offers 102 places for full inpatient and short-term care as well as service facilities. According to the standard, these include a residents' restaurant with fresh kitchen, a hairdresser, a pedicure, a fireplace room, a care and wellness bathroom and a laundry. The gross floor area is around 5,140 square metres.

Like all new buildings, this senior citizens' residence was also built in accordance with the Cureus standard of the system care property. This relies on uniform, high quality standards and is oriented, among other things, to the needs of the operators with a focus on the residents and the nursing staff. For example, the construction processes and all properties are optimized from the inside out: This applies, for example, to the size and arrangement of rooms to optimize areas and walkways. The on-site equipment is also well thought-out from a utility point of view: corridors always receive daylight, each room has floor-to-ceiling windows and the modern bathrooms and window arrangements always follow the same standardized system approach. In architecture and façade design, however, great importance is attached to individuality and the highest quality in order to fit optimally into the respective project environment. Sustainable aspects also play an important role both with regard to the long-term profitability of a nursing home and its impact on the environment. For example, the KfW standard is aimed for all properties. The bundled procurement, including floor coverings or elevator systems, also ensures cost synergies. Long-term maintenance contracts comprising several properties also reduce the costs of the future operator. By constantly reviewing and optimising this system approach, the creation of needs-based properties can be guaranteed.