The current setup may be new, but the three brothers didn’t enter their collaboration completely unprepared. Jorn had already been working for the company one day a week for the past two and a half years, alongside his HR role at another firm. A good decision, as it turned out. Over time, he gradually increased his working days to two, and now he’s full-time at WoninghurenMP. “I once planned to grow into an HR advisor role, but our current work turned out to be incredibly interesting and rewarding. It just suits me, and that says it all.”

Jelle hadn’t been working fixed days in the company before, but he was definitely involved. “At the kitchen table, our conversations often ended up being about ongoing projects anyway,” he recalls. He previously worked as a consultant but admits he had long known that wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. “When I also gained some hands-on experience renovating my own home, I decided to take the leap. Everything just fell into place at the right time.”

Since January of this year, the three brothers have been working together in the company that once started with just Joep. Jelle explains: “Being around each other full-time is something new for us. Like in any other company, we’ll probably get tired of our colleagues from time to time, the only difference is that in our case, that colleague happens to be a brother. We’ve agreed to keep work and private life as separate as possible.” Joep adds: “For now, it’s just great that we can do it this way. We only need half a word to understand each other. We know each other inside out and are completely in sync.”

Jorn and Jelle share that same feeling: “After spending about 30 years side by side, you know you can be honest with each other and always want what’s best, for one another, for the company, and for our business partners. And we share the same vision.” That vision is captured perfectly in the ‘MP’ of the company name, Met Plezier (With Joy). Jelle explains: “We want everyone we work with, from tenants to suppliers and everyone in between, to be satisfied and to enjoy working with us. That’s why it’s great that, with the extra hands, we can now manage much more in-house. Project development, for example, something we simply didn’t have the capacity for before. Now we have much more control over our work.” Jorn adds: “Outsourcing can be convenient, but it often means less direct communication and more dependency on others. With our new structure, we can ensure the quality we promise.”

In the coming period, the brothers will focus mainly on completing existing projects and mapping out their internal processes more clearly. Jelle explains: “Our long-term direction will depend largely on our first experiences in this new setup and on future regulations within the rental sector. Whatever we do, we want to do it properly.”

One thing is already certain: “We’ll always continue to be there for our tenants, by maintaining our properties well, and by keeping them safe and clean,” says Joep. “And not just by saying it, but by truly showing it.” Jorn adds: “Landlords in our sector don’t always have the best reputation, but we want to show that it can be done differently. It should be a positive experience for everyone.” Jelle agrees: “And no, we’re not perfect either. Things don’t always go according to plan. But when that happens, we genuinely care, and we’ll do everything we can to solve it as quickly as possible. In today’s challenging market, that’s actually a big part of the joy: proving that things can be done differently.”

As for how these recent changes will affect the company’s partners and tenants, the brothers are all on the same page: “Tenants won’t notice much of a change,” says Jorn. “Contractors and suppliers will just see Jelle and me a bit more often,” he adds with a grin. “But don’t worry, things will remain just as pleasant as they’ve always been.”