Brebau

What Brebau does

BREBAU GmbH is a municipally connected real estate company headquartered on the Schlachte waterfront in Bremen, Germany, founded on 2 September 1938. The company manages approximately 10,000 owned and administered residential apartments across nearly all Bremen districts and the surrounding area, and serves as a property developer (Bauträger) marketing row houses (Reihenhäuser) and condominiums (Eigentumswohnungen). Beyond traditional rental and property management, BREBAU has expanded into educational real estate, delivering KiTa facilities and primary schools in partnership with operators such as QUIRL Kinderhäuser e.V. and the City of Bremen's education authority.

The business operates across three revenue streams: recurring residential rental income from owned apartments, one-time transaction revenue from developer sales of new-build properties, and managed services fees from third-party property administration. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the brebau.de website, digital rental processing via the wohnungshelden GmbH platform, and a network of local advisory offices. Supporting infrastructure includes partnerships with Glasfaser Nordwest for fiber-optic connectivity and Green Planet Investors AG for tenant rooftop solar electricity (Mieterstrom).

The company is led by Bernd Botzenhardt (CEO/Chairman of the Management Board) and Björn Schnautz (Managing Director), employs 147 staff, and operates exclusively within the Bremen metropolitan market. It is privately held as a GmbH with no external private equity or venture capital backing and pursues a social mandate through affordable housing, refugee accommodation, and Housing First programs in partnership with Wohnungshilfe Bremen e.V.

Name

Brebau

Legal name

BREBAU GmbH

Website

https://brebau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BREBAU GmbH is a municipally connected Bremen-based real estate company founded in 1938 that owns and manages approximately 10,000 residential apartments, develops row houses and condominiums, and builds educational facilities across Bremen and the surrounding area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Rental and Leasing Services (532)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

HOA / Condominium Association Management (BPAJAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mixed-Use Community Association Management (BPAJAHAF)

Keywords

• Residential property management
• Apartment rental services
• Real estate development
• Housing construction
• Property administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Residential Rental Income: BREBAU generates recurring rental revenue from approximately 10,000 owned and managed apartments across nearly all Bremen districts and the surrounding area. Rental income from residential units forms the core revenue stream.
2. Property Development Sales: BREBAU markets and sells condominiums (Eigentumswohnungen) and row houses (Reihenhäuser) as a developer (Bauträger), generating one-time transaction revenue from property sales.
3. Third-Party Property Management: BREBAU manages residential properties for third-party owners, earning management fees. The company administers around 10,000 total units including both owned and managed properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BREBAU GmbH is a municipally-connected real estate company that owns, manages, and develops residential and educational properties in Bremen, Germany. The company rents approximately 10,000 owned and managed apartments, develops and sells row houses and condominiums, constructs educational facilities (Kitas and schools), and provides third-party property management services.

Product overview

BREBAU is a municipal-linked real estate company offering a comprehensive portfolio of residential and educational property services. Core offerings include rental of approximately 10,000 owned and managed apartments, sale of row houses and condominiums, and professional property management. The portfolio extends to educational facilities through KiTa and school construction projects. Key current projects include the Arsten district development (row houses and Kitas), Schlachte 22 Working & Living spaces, and various district development initiatives. Services include tenant electricity projects, fiber optic connectivity, and the Kinderwelt children's education platform. The company operates primarily in Bremen and surrounding areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wohnungsvermietung (Apartment Rental) Rental of approximately 10,000 owned and managed apartments across nearly all Bremen districts and surrounding areas. Services include apartment listings, viewing appointments, and a digital rental application process via wohnungshelden GmbH software. Target: individuals and families seeking long-term rental housing in Bremen.
• Reihenhäuser (Row Houses) Family-friendly row houses for sale in Bremen, currently a project of 15 houses at Hans-Hackmack-Straße in Arsten with 137-141 m² living space, air-water heat pump, photovoltaic system, underfloor heating, and fiber optic connection. Target: individual homebuyers and families in Bremen.
• Immobilienverwaltung (Property Management) Professional management and administration of approximately 10,000 residential units including maintenance, tenant services, and facility management. Target: third-party property owners and BREBAU-owned portfolio in Bremen.
• Schlachte 22 Working & Living Urban living and working spaces in Bremen city center near the Weser river, comprising 16 fully furnished living spaces and separate working spaces in urban jungle design. Flexible booking from weekend to 6 months. Target: individuals and professionals seeking short to mid-term urban accommodation and workspaces.
• KiTa (Kindergarten Facility Development) Construction and development of kindergarten (KiTa) facilities in Bremen, including two facilities in Arsten (Felix-von-Eckhardt-Straße for up to 100 children and Carl-Katz-Straße for up to 80 children) with sustainable energy standards. Target: City of Bremen education authorities and Kita operators such as QUIRL Kinderhäuser e.V.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~10,000 residential units managed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gemeinsame Erklärung gegen Sexismus und sexuelle BelästigungminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024BREBAU's management signed the 'Gemeinsame Erklärung gegen Sexismus und sexuelle Belästigung' (Joint Declaration Against Sexism and Sexual Harassment), joining over 650 alliance partners and positioning against harassment in the workplace and society.
• Charta der Vielfalt e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2024BREBAU participates in the Diversity Challenge of the Charta der Vielfalt e.V., with apprentices developing projects on diversity dimensions including social origin. The company also participates in the annual German Diversity Day (Deutscher Diversity-Tag).
• Glasfaser Nordwest GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2023Partnership to equip all BREBAU-managed properties with fiber optic connections (Glasfaseranschluss) providing up to 1,000 Mbit/s internet speeds. The fiber rollout is free for tenants and enables high-speed connectivity for residential units.
• Wohnungshilfe Bremen e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBREBAU and Wohnungshilfe Bremen e.V. have a long-standing partnership to provide housing for socially vulnerable groups. BREBAU supplies numerous housing units including for Ukrainian refugees. The partnership includes the 'Housing First' program providing stable housing for homeless individuals, as well as furniture donations to improve housing quality for those in need.
• QUIRL Kinderhäuser e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQUIRL Kinderhäuser e.V. is the operator of Kita facilities built by BREBAU in Arsten. BREBAU constructed the first Kita at Felix-von-Eckhardt-Straße (up to 100 children) and the second Kita at Carl-Katz-Straße (up to 80 children), handing keys to QUIRL as operator. The operator runs the childcare services while BREBAU provides the real estate infrastructure.
• Bremer StadtreinigungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBREBAU co-hosts the 'Halt! Das brauch ich noch!' (Abfalltheater) free theater project for children aged 5-10 with the Bremer Stadtreinigung. The theater teaches waste separation, recycling, and resource conservation through play.
• Green Planet Investors AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBREBAU and Hamburger Energiegenossenschaft Green Planet Investors AG are collaborating on a Mieterstrom project in the Pawel-Adamowicz-Straße in Bremen. Two new buildings will receive affordable green solar power directly from their own rooftops, with the project announced in February 2026.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SAGA Siedlungs-Aktiengesellschaft Hamburg: Municipal housing company of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg; operates on an almost identical model to BREBAU as a kommunal verbundenes Immobilienunternehmen with portfolio rental, development and third-party management, giving it the closest structural and scale comparability (six-figure unit portfolio, single-city focus).
• Howoge Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH: Berlin municipal housing company owning and managing tens of thousands of apartments with a similar mix of rental, new-build development and subsidized-housing obligations; matches BREBAU's model as a publicly connected, large-scale residential landlord.
• Gewobag AG: State-owned Berlin housing company with an approximately 80,000-unit portfolio combining rentals, new development and social-housing allocation; comparable to BREBAU on the municipal-rental-plus-development business model.
• degewo AG: Berlin's largest municipal housing company, publicly owned, focused on renting, developing and managing residential real estate including subsidized units; overlaps closely with BREBAU on customer base (mass-market tenants), product (apartment rentals) and ownership status.
• GBG Mannheim GmbH: Municipal housing company of the City of Mannheim owning ~20,000 apartments with rental, development and property management; structurally very similar to BREBAU as a kommunal verbundenes Immobilienunternehmen in a mid-sized German city.
• NürnbergWohnungsbaugesellschaft (nhw) mbH: Municipal housing company of the City of Nuremberg renting and developing tens of thousands of apartments with a mix of subsidized and market-rate housing; matches BREBAU on the regional public-mandate rental-and-development business model.
• Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Bremen eG: Cooperative housing association headquartered in Bremen offering affordable rental housing to its members; directly comparable because it competes with BREBAU for the same tenant pool within Bremen's residential property market.

Broad incumbents

• Vonovia SE: Germany's largest residential landlord with a portfolio of ~540,000 units nationwide; competes with BREBAU in German residential rental and increasingly in energy-efficient refurbishment but operates at vastly greater scale and as a DAX-listed private-sector incumbent.
• LEG Immobilien SE: Major German residential real-estate company focused on North Rhine-Westphalia with ~165,000 units; comparable through portfolio rental, energy-efficient refurbishment and mix of public-housing exposure, but at much larger and publicly listed scale.
• Deutsche Wohnen SE: Large German residential landlord now part of Vonovia, primarily active in Berlin with additional holdings; comparable to BREBAU on apartment rental and urban densification focus though at greater scale and as a listed/SET-listed platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@brebau8203
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brebau-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/brebau.bremen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brebau