B&K’s Real Estate Transactions lawyers advise real estate investors and other parties on all aspects of acquisitions and sales of single properties, (including, in particular, shopping centres) and large real estate portfolios with numerous and diverse targets, sale and lease-back transactions, related financing and security issues, and other matters.
Our strong construction and general real estate experience provides added value to our clients, especially when the property is being or is intended to be developed or redeveloped. We also bring our hands-on training to our due diligence services for real estate-related transactions.
The majority of Finnish commercial property is held through so-called mutual real estate companies. A mutual real estate company owns a property (land and buildings), and its articles of association contain provisions that allocate various identified premises to its shareholders. Each shareholder possesses its own premises, may lease the premises, and will receive the rental income for the premises directly; in other words, the shareholder (not the mutual real estate company) is the landlord. The mutual real estate company charges a maintenance fee from its shareholders in order to cover the maintenance and other costs for the property, but makes no profit.
We make sure to advise investors on the complexities of the Finnish mutual real estate company structure at the time investments are planned, with the aim to maximise project realisation.
B&K’s tax lawyers often participate in real estate transactions and serve to ensure that the transaction and holding structure is efficient for the investor from a taxation perspective.