Real Estate Projects

Plans are
our speciality.
No matter the scale

Prof. Jan Kehrberg, lawyer

GSK Stockmann is a leading one-stop for legal advice regarding real estate project developments. Our lawyers in this sector are well-connected and cover all relevant fields of law.

Your partner through each and every phase of project development.

For years now, the market for real estate developments has been booming across all of Germany. Naturally, the demand for each of the components involved in such projects has risen at the same rate. These include:

  • Greenfield and brownfield sites
  • Planning and construction services
  • Financing and investments
  • Advisory services

People and companies who work in the real estate industry face the challenge of mastering an increasingly complex market situation. On the one hand, we see record turnovers juxtaposed with political instability (Brexit, economic sanctions). As a result, market players naturally seek safe investment opportunities and new niches for building projects (co-living, co-working, data

centres). On the other hand, market players face a shortage of suitable land, bottlenecks in the planning and construction industries, rising prices for materials and labour in the building industry, stagnating net yields in the most sought-after locations, rising demands for smart infrastructures in district development (ECS, connectivity, sharing communities) and a decrease in the number of approvals granted for planning permission.

Walking the tightrope of profits, the environment, social aspects, digitalisation and governance has never been trickier. Our team can lend you support in all the different phases of your project development: from analysing the location and preparing development strategies to financing and establishing joint ventures. Demand, risk and cost management are also part of our repertoire, besides contracting, guarantees, dispute resolution and tax optimisation. While well acquainted with all relevant market players from the public and the private sector, we also have specialists on our team who like to delve into the latest trends. The reliable yet innovative legal advice we offer is based on a detailed understanding of the market. Our claim: Your goals are our benchmark. Your perspective.

Your hands are full?
Good to know we have everything covered.

Markets in focus

If you want to make the most of every opportunity for growth across the board, top-notch support is a crucial ingredient. Our bundled expertise in all sectors and markets is the answer.

You need properties in your portfolio that are usable but can also be easily marketed and financed. As such, we examine real estate projects closely to ensure the property in question is suitable for investors, banks, transactions and approvals.

Thanks to our expertise, market experience and integrated approach – one which takes the entire development process into account – we are on the same page as our clients and can offer advice as an equal partner on all popular asset classes such as residential properties, office or hotels, as well as more niche sectors such as co-working spaces, healthcare and student residences.

Whether you are engaged in classic project development (geared towards a profitable transaction), or in developing your own portfolio (to create new usage models) or a new joint venture model – we know exactly what is needed. We negotiate successful and effective financing solutions and help you establish functional risk management structures and an uncomplicated compliance management system. We also provide advice and support with tax structuring, tax optimisation, sales structuring and process digitalisation. Our industry specialists respond to current trends with innovative ideas and sustainable solution proposals and provide comprehensive advice in all areas of project development.

We are well versed in the intricacies of building projects in the public sector and take great pride in creating legally watertight structures for architectural design competitions, engineering contracts, planning permission applications, building contracts and comprehensive legal advice and support throughout the entire construction phase – including potential crises. Having worked for many years in the field, we have gained considerable legal and political experience in handling these requirements – experience which ultimately benefits our clients.

Germany remains an attractive business location! The EU as well as federal, regional and local governments offer numerous incentives to encourage companies from all industries to settle in Germany. We support your in-house developers and lawyers in identifying and handling all relevant tasks – procuring planning permissions, creating a framework for awarding contracts, and negotiating building, planning and rent contracts in line with your company policies. To ensure your project management runs smoothly, we provide regular reporting and a fixed point of contact in addition to our comprehensive legal advice.

You would like to take responsibility for future generations, and preserve and increase the value of your assets by investing in sustainable initiatives? Thanks to our expertise in this field, we can help you increase the value of your building leases, or assert your interests when planning regulations threaten to interfere with your assets. Countless clients rely on our excellent networks and our reputation for legal assessments and appraisal processes. We consistently act with the utmost discretion.

Your contacts.

Understanding your perspective. And finding the best solution.
That is our mission (from left to right):

Key areas of advice

The right experts for every challenge, the perfect team for every client: we focus on the elements that drive your success.

We advise on complex project developments by providing in-depth expertise for all types of use, with a strong focus on:

  • Legal structuring and development strategies
  • Procuring building rights
  • Defining and documenting project goals
  • Drafting project agreements, joint ventures
  • Measuring performance against targets; managing all agreements
  • Legal management

Complex processes require diligence and foresight. We develop individual solutions for:

  • Analysis of potential and risk
  • Approval procedures
  • Urban development planning
  • Regional planning, expert planning
  • Environmental requirements and processes
  • Public law contracts
  • Political and participation processes

Private building law is one of the core competencies of our law firm. Our solutions are cost-efficient, practical and customised:

  • Contract design
  • Structuring and developing cooperation models
  • Providing legal advice and support during the construction phase / anti-claim management
  • Dispute resolution
  • Multi-party contracts and partnering agreements

Our key advisory services include all aspects of architect and engineering law. We have particular expertise in the
following areas:

  • Contract design
  • Liability and compensation law
  • Protecting architectural copyrights
  • Architectural design competitions

Our many years of experience in the following fields are of great value when financing complex real estate project developments:

  • Drafting and negotiating loan agreements, collaterals and other finance agreements
  • Ongoing advice in credit relationships
  • Advising on breaches of loan agreements, syndication, debt rescheduling or transferral of contracts
  • Advisory services in the field of investment law
  • Financial due diligence
  • Checking and aligning with the requirements of state aid law (where the public sector is involved)

First and foremost, we aim to help all parties involved to avoid time-consuming and costly court cases. We provide support in:

  • Administrative court proceedings
  • Arbitration proceedings
  • Alternative dispute resolution methods
  • Interim legal protection