GWS

What GWS does

GWS Gemeinnützige Alpenländische Gesellschaft für Wohnungsbau und Siedlungswesen m.b.H. is a non-profit housing developer and property manager headquartered in Graz, Styria, Austria. Founded in 1950/1951 and now employing 90+ staff across management, sales, object management, accounting, legal, controlling, energy and facility management, and land acquisition, GWS develops and manages residential properties across Styria through two entities: the parent GWS, which delivers subsidized and privately-financed rental apartments (Mietwohnungen) and rent-to-own options in rural Styria, and its 100% subsidiary NEXT by GWS (GWS Bau- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H.), which focuses on urban ownership apartments in Graz and Graz-Umgebung. Across 75+ years the company has served approximately 40,000 customers.

The business operates four revenue streams: apartment sales (one-time), rental income (recurring), property management services for WEG communities, municipalities, and private owners (managed services), and infrastructure construction such as kindergartens, community centers, and senior homes for municipalities. Pricing models vary by project — ownership apartments range from approximately €164,000 to €584,000+ in the Graz area, while rent-to-own units command €660–€2,020/month plus a down payment of €45,000–€147,000 with purchase option after 5 years. Distribution runs through a dedicated in-house sales team (Gregor Veit, Bernd Stubenrauch, Gerlinde Brauchart, Alexandra Krampl, Gabriele Schmidthaler, Julia Wolmuth), an online customer portal (gws-home4you.at), and physical showrooms with model apartments.

Technically, GWS has invested in sustainable construction: it is the first housing developer in Styria to implement passive house standards in multi-story residential construction, has installed over 9,000 m² of solar thermal and 1,500+ m² of photovoltaic systems, and jointly developed a cascaded heat pump system with AEE Intec that reduced heating energy demand by more than 30% in retrofitted buildings. The firm is owned by Wirtschaftskammer Steiermark, Landeskammer für Land- und Forstwirtschaft Steiermark, and Steiermärkische Bank und Sparkassen AG, holds the Austrian Gütezeichen für Hausverwaltungen quality mark, and was nominated for the Energy Globe Styria Award 2024 and the Österreichischer Klimaschutzpreis. Its current pipeline includes the 282-unit LENDPARK project, the 122-unit Friedrich-Ritter-Weg development, and the 95-unit Rankengasse/Karlauerstraße project, alongside an active land acquisition effort.

Name

GWS

Legal name

GWS Gemeinnützige Alpenländische Gesellschaft für Wohnungsbau und Siedlungswesen m.b.H.

Website

https://gws-wohnen.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GWS is a 75-year-old non-profit housing developer and property manager in Graz, Styria, building subsidized and market-rate apartments, rent-to-own units, and municipal infrastructure across the region for individual buyers, renters, municipalities, and WEG communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Development and Property Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236116), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (53)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB)

Keywords

• Affordable housing development
• Residential property management
• Subsidized rental housing
• Thermal renovation services
• Homeowner community administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Apartment Sales (Eigentumswohnungen): Revenue from selling freifinanzierte (market-rate) and geförderte (subsidized) ownership apartments primarily in urban Graz area. Customers can purchase directly or through rent-to-own model.
2. Rental Income (Mietwohnungen): Revenue from renting geförderte (subsidized) and freifinanzierte rental apartments with purchase option (Mietkaufwohnungen) primarily in rural areas of Styria.
3. Property Management Services (Hausverwaltung): Housing management services for own properties, apartment owner communities (WEG), municipal housing developments, and commercial/private property owners. Includes technical, commercial, and legal management.
4. Infrastructure Construction (Infrastrukturbauten): Construction of municipal buildings including kindergartens, community centers, event venues, and senior homes as part of comprehensive community development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GWS develops, rents, sells, and manages residential real estate in Styria, Austria, offering subsidized and free-financed rental apartments as well as ownership apartments. Beyond housing delivery, it provides property management for homeowner communities (WEG), infrastructure construction, project management, and energy and facility management services through its subsidiary NEXT by GWS.

Product overview

GWS (Gemeinnützige Alpenländische Gesellschaft für Wohnungsbau und Siedlungswesen m.b.H.) is a non-profit housing developer and property manager based in Graz, Styria, operating since 1950. The company operates through two main entities: the parent GWS, which provides subsidized and privately financed rental apartments in rural Styrian areas, and its 100% subsidiary NEXT by GWS (GWS Bau- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H.), which focuses on privately financed owner-occupied apartments in Graz and surrounding areas. Together they offer a complete lifecycle of housing services: residential property development (both ownership and rental models), full-scale object/property management awarded the Austrian quality mark (Gütezeichen), communal infrastructure construction (kindergartens, senior homes, event centers), project management for third-party clients, energy and facility management, and a digital customer portal (Online-Service-Center). The product portfolio is completed by a property alert service (Suchagent) and an extensive catalog of residential projects in various stages (planning, construction, ready-for-occupancy). The company also publishes an annual customer magazine and organizes community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXT by GWS: Sub-brand of GWS Bau- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H. focusing on Eigentumswohnungen in urban areas (Graz and Graz Umgebung) and rental apartments in rural areas of Styria.

Products and services

• Subsidized and free-financed rental apartments Long-term rental apartments offered by GWS in Styria, available both under Austrian subsidized housing programs and as free-financed (non-subsidized) units, targeting income-qualified households and families seeking affordable rental housing.
• Ownership apartments Newly built condominiums developed and sold by GWS in Graz and other Styrian locations, intended for individual owner-occupiers purchasing a primary residence.
• Property management services (Hausverwaltung / Objektmanagement) Third-party property management services for homeowner communities (WEG) and private property owners, covering administrative, financial, and operational management of residential buildings.
• Infrastructure construction (Infrastrukturbauten) Construction of infrastructure projects for municipalities and other public clients in Styria, delivered as a standalone construction service by GWS.
• Project management (Projektmanagement) Project management services for building and development projects, supporting clients through planning, execution, and handover of residential or infrastructure projects.
• Energy and facility management Energy and facility management services for buildings in GWS's portfolio and for third-party clients, covering operational optimization, energy monitoring, and facility operations.
• NEXT by GWS — renovation and lease-up service Service brand of GWS Bau- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H. providing renovation, refurbishment, and lease-up of residential properties for owners and investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heating energy demand reduced by more than 30% through thermal renovation (HWB reduced from 155-163 kWh/m²a to 48-51 kWh/m²a)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AEE Intec (Gleisdorf)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with AEE Intec from Gleisdorf on thermal renovation project at Südtiroler Gasse in Liezen, implementing innovative cascaded heat pump heating systems combined with photovoltaic installations. This partnership resulted in the Energy Globe Styria Award 2024 nomination.
• Styrian Companies and ArchitectscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGWS works with over 400 regional Styrian companies and architects, following a best-principle approach with regional partners. Individual new construction projects involve partnerships with approximately 240 companies across all trades.
• NEXT by GWS (GWS Bau- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner100% owned subsidiary of GWS operating under the 'NEXT by GWS' brand. Focuses on urban Eigentumswohnungen (ownership apartments) in the Graz metropolitan area, complementing GWS's rural rental housing focus.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wohnbaugruppe Ennstal: Styrian non-profit housing developer focused on subsidized and freifinanzierte construction plus property management in the Ennstal region. Comparable regional gemeinnütziger Wohnbautr\u00e4ger model serving the same Styrian market geography as GWS.
• Lawog (Oberösterreichische gemeinnützige Wohnungs- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft): Upper Austrian non-profit housing developer offering subsidized and freifinanzierte apartments with integrated property management. Comparable non-profit, multi-tenure residential model and similar lifecycle services to GWS, but operating in a different Austrian state.
• WBV-GPA Wohnungsvereinigung für Privatangestellte: Austrian non-profit housing developer and manager serving employee groups with subsidized and market-rate apartments across multiple states. Direct peer in the gemeinnützig segment with similar development-plus-management service stack to GWS.
• Heimat Österreich: Austria's largest non-profit housing developer (gemeinnütziger Wohnbautr\u00e4ger), providing subsidized and market-rate rental and ownership apartments nationwide. Directly comparable to GWS in non-profit status, mixed-tenure product mix, full-service development and property management model.
• Alpenland Gemeinnützige Wohnungsgesellschaft: Styria- and Vienna-based non-profit housing developer providing subsidized rental and ownership apartments with property management services. Closest geographic and structural peer to GWS given overlap in Styrian market and gemeinnützig operating model.
• Siedlungsgenossenschaft Neues Heim: Austrian cooperative housing developer providing subsidized and market-rate apartments with property management. Comparable non-profit, mixed-tenure residential product to GWS, operating primarily in Vienna but with structural alignment to the gemeinnützig model.

Regional players

• Neue Heimat Tirol: Tyrol-based non-profit housing developer offering subsidized rental and ownership apartments with property management services. Comparable gemeinnützig operating model and product offering to GWS, but limited to the Tyrol state.

Broad incumbents

• Porr AG: One of Austria's largest full-service construction companies with deep exposure to residential building construction and renovation. Compares to GWS as a broader incumbent in the same Austrian residential construction market, though operating with a commercial rather than non-profit model.
• Strabag AG: Austrian subsidiary of the European construction group Strabag SE, active in residential building construction including large multi-family projects. Comparable as a broad incumbent in Austrian residential construction to GWS's in-house development capacity.

Others

• KELAG-K\u00e4rntner Energie-\u0026 W\u00e4rme GmbH: Carinthian-based energy and heating services provider active in residential heat-pump and thermal-renovation projects. Adjacent/ecosystem peer given GWS's deployment of cascaded heat pump and thermal renovation systems; comparable in Austrian sustainable housing technology integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GWS.wohnen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 GWS