Verwaltung Runkel2026
“The right step for me
and for the company.”
Gunnar Holz ran Verwaltung Runkel in Remscheid — the very business where he once trained. In mid-2026, he handed the roughly forty-year-old company over to Buena.
- Founded
- 1986
- Units
- 3,000
- Employees
- 12
A working life in one company
Verwaltung Runkel, legally Wohnungsverwaltung Dipl.-Kfm. Christian Runkel GmbH, was founded in Remscheid in 1986 by Christian Runkel. From a single employee at the start, it grew into an office of twelve that today manages around 3,000 units in condominium and rental management.
Gunnar Holz has been connected to the business for over 25 years: in the mid-nineties he did his apprenticeship as a property manager here, and since 2011 he has run his own property management and brokerage office in Solingen. When Christian Runkel retired in early 2023, he handed the management over to him.
Taking over also raised the next question: what does the long-term future look like? The company had structural needs, above all in digitalization — and it needed an answer to how it would keep good, qualified people on board to serve its customers well.
Passing the company on is something Holz describes matter-of-factly: “the necessary — or simply the next — step.”
“For me it was important to have a trusting relationship. And that was conveyed to me right from the start.”
The decision for Buena
When choosing a buyer, Holz was not looking for speed or the highest price, but for two things: trust, and a partner who would develop the company further instead of merely restructuring it.
The way he sees it, Buena takes a different path than the classic financial investor: not just changing structures, but creating solutions with software. “That, I think, is the right way to be well positioned for the future.”
One thing mattered to him above all: the well-being of his long-standing employees. His expectation of the new owner: that they would be in good hands.
From first contact to the notary appointment
What surprised Gunnar Holz about the process: how uncomplicated it was. From first contact to the notary appointment, he describes it as impressively structured and personable — “I would almost say: relaxed.”
The process at a glance
“The process was impressively structured, personable — I would almost say: relaxed.”
The day of the signing
He speaks openly about the day of the signing: beforehand, he went through “a certain emotional rollercoaster”. All the clearer his conclusion afterwards.
For Verwaltung Runkel, the next chapter begins now: the team is being taken over, Buena brings the digitalization the company had been missing. And for the owners and advisory boards it serves, the familiar contacts stay on board.
His recommendation: “Given how trusting and uncomplicated the whole process was, I can only recommend that anyone thinking about retiring and passing on their company get in touch with Buena.”
“For me and for the company, I feel I have taken the right step. And found a good partner in Buena.”