Real Estate Industry

Who's Who Legal

“A team that thinks in an entrepreneurial, proactive way.”

Legal 500

“Very responsive, meets deadlines and provides a service that is focused to the client’s needs.”

Chambers Europe

“Distinguished in the field of real estate finance, with a very hands-on, direct and punctual approach.”

Who's Who Legal

“Highly proficient, praised for speed, diligence and thorough understanding of the sector.”

Who’s Who Legal Switzerland

“Long-standing reputation for advising high-profile domestic and global clients.”

Practice Group

The real estate sector is one of the major sectors in Switzerland and one of the key investment asset classes for private and institutional investors. The real estate sector is very heterogeneous and comprises development, finance, construction, sale, lease and management of properties, including infrastructure, facilities, office, retail and residential real estate, logistics and public premises. Our real estate sector team covers the entire sector, including tax, administrative and environmental law.

Expertise

Experience

Our real estate lawyers act as counsel in the following non-contentious matters:

  • Sale and purchase of commercial buildings (i.e. office, industrial and retail buildings, shopping centres, hotels and resorts)
  • Sale and purchase of residential properties
  • Sale and purchase of development sites and all legal aspects
  • Sale and purchase of real estate portfolios
  • Sale and leaseback transactions
  • Real estate acquisitions by means of share deals
  • Advice to bidders at public and private auctions
  • Negotiation and drafting of complex commercial and retail leases
  • Advice to buyers and banks on the financing of real estate transactions

Our Real Estate Group assists our clients in due diligence reviews and in drafting, negotiating, implementing and enforcing all types of real estate contracts. We advise on real estate-related matters, such as construction, environmental law, tax and administrative matters, mortgage rights and encumbrances on properties, and real estate owner’s liability. 

We have extensive experience throughout the Swiss real estate sector in both the commercial and the residential property markets.

We represent clients in contentious matters such as:

  • Adjudication, conciliation and mediation proceedings pertaining to post-closing disputes
  • Litigation of post-closure disputes
  • Litigation and arbitration of lease disputes
  • Litigation of statutory liens disputes
  • Counsel to a large Swiss developer of office buildings, logistic centres and shopping centres, for the acquisition of an office property, the negotiation, drafting and signing of the main lease with the Geneva branch of an international bank
  • Counsel to BASF in the sale of 120,000 m2 development land in the city of Basel to Swiss Life in a complex two-tier auction process
  • Counsel to a large private bank for the sale of two office properties in the canton of Geneva
  • Counsel to Bouygues Construction in its acquisition of Alpiq Engineering Services for a purchase price of CHF 850 million
  • Counsel to a Chinese investor for the acquisition of an office and retail property in Geneva for more than CHF 30 million
  • Counsel to Parker Hannifin for the sale of its industrial contaminated site in Carouge, Geneva
  • Advise to Barana Group in the sale of the landmark building ‘Airgate’ in a multi-tier auction process to the city of Zurich for CHF 128 million
  • Counsel to SV Group AG on the conclusion of several long-term lease agreements for hotel projects in several cities in Germany and Switzerland

Awards & Recognitions

The group and leading practitioners are well recognised among leading law firms across international directories and publications:

  • Chambers Europe in Real Estate
  • Legal 500 in Real Estate & Construction
  • WWL Switzerland and across WWL Construction international guides
  • WWL Switzerland Firm of the Year Construction & Real Estate

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