GrondVrij BV

What GrondVrij BV does

GrondVrij BV is a Dutch private financial services company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Veenendaal, Netherlands. The company operates a three-sided platform built around a legal structure that splits bare ownership (bloot eigendom) of land from building ownership (opstal), with the customer retaining the right to use the land via erfpacht (leasehold) and a right of terugkoop (buyback). Through GrondVrij Wonen and GrondVrij Wonen PLUS, the company enables Dutch homeowners aged 55+ with mortgage-free or near-mortgage-free properties to release up to ~30-40% of their property value in cash without selling or relocating, in exchange for a monthly ground usage fee of ~4% on the released amount (adjusted every 10 years based on interest rates and a housing price index) and a 2% transaction fee. Through GrondVrij Ontwikkelen, the company purchases land positions from property developers — primarily in partnership with Metanoia Groep — freeing up 30-40% of project value as upfront development capital.

GrondVrij monetizes through transaction fees on each equity release and recurring monthly ground usage fees over the life of each position, with indexed buyback margins at exit. The investor side of the platform, GrondVrij Beleggen, is funded primarily through the Kapitaal op Maat crowdfunding platform (minimum €1,000) and direct investors (minimum €100,000), targeting approximately 6% annual returns secured by first mortgage rights on land positions. By July 2023, the company had surpassed €25 million in cumulative funded buyback value across approximately 1,100 investors and a portfolio of 400+ units spanning permanent housing, care homes, and recreational properties. The company reports a 0% default rate across all completed projects and operates outside AFM (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) supervision because transactions are structured as land sales rather than loans. A wholly-owned subsidiary, GrondVrij Vastgoed Exploitatie BV, was established in July 2022 to extend the model into commercial real estate.

Name

GrondVrij BV

Legal name

GrondVrij Holding B.V.

Website

https://grondvrij.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GrondVrij BV is a Dutch financial services company that helps 55+ homeowners unlock property equity by selling the land beneath their homes while retaining building ownership, and provides developers with project financing via the same land-acquisition structure, funded by retail and direct investors earning approximately 6% annual returns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Veenendaal

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction fees from homeowners: GrondVrij charges a 2% transaction fee on the amount of property value released to the homeowner. For example, on a €300,000 home with 31.5% release (€94,500), the fee is €1,890.
2. Ground usage fees (erfpacht vergoeding): Homeowners who sell their land to GrondVrij pay a monthly ground usage fee. For the first 10 years this is typically 4% of the released amount. The fee is adjusted every 10 years based on prevailing interest rates and the housing price index.
3. Developer ground usage fees: Property developers using GrondVrij Ontwikkelen pay a land usage fee until properties are sold and land must be returned. The fee is structured per project and is part of the overall project cost calculation.
4. Margins on land buyback transactions: When land is bought back by the homeowner or developer, GrondVrij earns a margin. The buyback value is calculated using CBS-published indexation, which may include built-in margins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GrondVrij BV purchases the bare ownership (bloot eigendom) of land beneath residential and development properties while customers retain ownership of the building and rights to use the land via leasehold (erfpacht). For homeowners this unlocks up to ~40% of property value as cash without selling or relocating; for property developers it provides 30-40% of project value as upfront financing; for investors it offers ~6% annual returns secured by real estate collateral. The company monetizes through a 2% transaction fee plus recurring monthly ground usage fees.

Product overview

GrondVrij BV operates a three-sided real estate financial platform connecting homeowners, property developers, and investors through land transactions. The core offering consists of GrondVrij Wonen and GrondVrij Wonen PLUS, which help homeowners unlock equity from their property by selling the land beneath their house while retaining ownership of the structure; GrondVrij Ontwikkelen, which provides developers with up to 30–40% of project value in financing by acquiring their land positions; and GrondVrij Beleggen, which enables investors to earn approximately 6% annual returns by lending against land-backed collateral. The company also offers a self-service online calculator tool and targets real estate investors with a portfolio growth mechanism. All products share the same legal construct — split between bare ownership (GrondVrij) and right of superficies/erfpacht (customer) — with transparent, index-linked buyback terms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GrondVrij Ontwikkelen: Ground position financing for real estate developers undertaking residential, recreational, or care property development projects.
• GrondVrij Wonen
• GrondVrij Wonen PLUS
• GrondVrij Beleggen

Products and services

• GrondVrij Wonen Home equity release product for homeowners (typically 55+) that enables them to sell the land beneath their home to GrondVrij while retaining ownership of the building and right to use the land via erfpacht. Frees up approximately 30% of property value as a lump sum in exchange for a monthly ground-use fee, with a right of buyback (terugkoop).
• GrondVrij Wonen PLUS
• GrondVrij Ontwikkelen
• GrondVrij Beleggen
• GrondVrij voor Onroerend Goed Beleggers

Quantifiable outcome

• Homeowners can access up to ~30-40% of their property value in cash without selling or relocating
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metanoia GroepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetanoia Groep is a project developer specializing in customer and market-driven real estate concepts. They are the primary development partner for GrondVrij, using GrondVrij's ground acquisition model to finance projects. Metanoia develops regular housing, care facilities, and recreation/resort projects. Major joint projects include Resort Knuitershoek, Drentse Weelde, Resort De Fontein Eibergen, Notting Hill Veenendaal, De Tol Zevenaar, and Zeddam care project.
• Afbouwborg NederlandminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAfbouwborg Nederland provides pre-construction quality assessments for contractors and building plans. For GrondVrij projects, they provide an additional layer of project security through their guarantee system, which includes contractor vetting, technical quality checks, and a replacement guarantee if the contractor fails or stops work. This adds confidence for investors in GrondVrij-funded development projects.
• Antesz Management ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAntesz Management Services provides GrondVrij with professional management support in legal, financial, and operational areas. This partnership enables GrondVrij to focus on core project development while ensuring streamlined workflows and professional administration.
• Olenz notarissencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOlenz notarissen (Veenendaal) serves as the exclusive notary for all GrondVrij land transactions across the Netherlands. They draft, review, and execute all GrondVrij land transfer deeds (leveringsaktes), register rights at the cadastre (Kadaster), and serve as an independent point of contact for homeowners and developers. Their involvement provides legal certainty and institutional credibility to every transaction.
• FINNIUS advocatenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFINNIUS is a law firm specialized in financial supervision and licensing regulations. GrondVrij engaged FINNIUS to review all agreements, land transfer deeds, and informational materials to ensure compliance with applicable regulations, confirming that GrondVrij operates outside AFM licensing requirements.
• HUB Resorts (HUB Leisure Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHUB Resorts (a brand of HUB Leisure Group) is the sales and marketing partner for GrondVrij's recreational property projects. They present vacation home projects to investors and consumers at events like the Second Home Expo. Joint projects include Resort Knuitershoek, Drentse Weelde, and Resort De Fontein. HUB Resorts markets and sells the holiday homes while GrondVrij holds the underlying land positions.
• Ditters MakelaarsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDitters Makelaars is a leading real estate brokerage in the Ede-Veenendaal region with a financial advisory desk. They partner with GrondVrij to offer GrondVrij Wonen to their customers aged 55+ who have substantial home equity but limited access to bank financing.
• Financieel InzichtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinancieel Inzicht is a financial advisory firm in Joure that partnered with GrondVrij to develop a financial model for private real estate investors. They help investors use GrondVrij to accelerate portfolio growth and improve returns.
• CasimmominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCasimmo is a Belgian partner that collaborated with GrondVrij to enable the 'second home' use case — using the land value from a primary residence to finance a second home purchase, specifically in the Belgian market.
• Huisvesting Op Maat (HOM) verenigingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOM is an association of real estate and care professionals focused on housing solutions for seniors. GrondVrij joined as a partner in January 2016, contributing its expertise in home equity release to the broader ecosystem of professionals working on elderly housing and independent living solutions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ASR Nederland: Major Dutch insurance and asset-management group with significant real estate investment exposure, including Dutch residential property. Comparable as a broad Dutch incumbent in the real estate financial services space, although ASR operates at much greater scale and through conventional investment and insurance vehicles rather than the erfpacht construct.
• Legal & General Home Finance: UK equity release and later-life lending arm of Legal & General, a major UK financial services group. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering equity-release products to the same senior demographic, but with deeper balance-sheet capacity and a wider product portfolio than GrondVrij.

Direct peers

• More2Life: UK specialist lifetime mortgage lender serving the equity release market for older borrowers. Comparable to GrondVrij in target customer (senior homeowners with substantial equity) and product intent (releasing housing wealth without sale), though delivered through mortgage products rather than ground-lease structuring.
• Hodge Bank: UK specialist bank with a focused lifetime mortgage business targeting older borrowers releasing equity from their homes. Comparable to GrondVrij in the equity-release customer proposition and the focus on a relatively underserved senior demographic.
• Key Group: UK equity release specialist operating Key Retirement and other advice/intermediary brands. Closely comparable to GrondVrij in that it focuses specifically on helping older homeowners access trapped property equity, with a similar customer demographic of mortgage-free or near-mortgage-free 55+ households.
• Just Group plc: UK-listed provider of lifetime mortgages and equity release products targeted at older homeowners seeking to unlock housing wealth without moving. Most directly comparable functional peer to GrondVrij Wonen, although it uses a lifetime-mortgage structure rather than Dutch erfpacht.
• Age Partnership: UK equity release advisory and intermediary focused on helping older homeowners compare and select lifetime mortgage products. Comparable to GrondVrij in targeting the 55+ segment with trapped equity, although Age Partnership earns commission on lender products rather than originating via its own legal/financial structure.
• Canada Life UK: UK provider of lifetime mortgages and equity release products within its wider life and pensions business. Functionally comparable to GrondVrij Wonen in serving the senior equity-release segment with structured mortgage products, although backed by a much larger parent (Canada Life).

Others

• NewRiver REIT: UK REIT specialising in real estate asset management and value-add investment across retail and leisure assets. Comparable as a real estate lessor/operator with adjacent exposure to recreational and care-adjacent property segments served by GrondVrij Ontwikkelen, though at much larger scale and with a UK focus rather than a Dutch senior-equity focus.
• Collin Crowdfund: Dutch real estate and SME crowdfunding platform that GrondVrij has itself used to raise capital (announced February 2025). Comparable as an adjacent Dutch real estate capital-formation channel rather than a direct competitor; relevant because it is part of GrondVrij's investor-distribution stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrondVrij
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrondVrij
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grond-vrij

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 GrondVrij BV