Real estate

Housing is a human right that has been under pressure for years. As a housing association, you bring affordable and comfortable housing within reach of those for whom it is least attainable. This is not without challenges, as political decision-making and market trends do not always coincide with the interests of tenants and housing associations.

As a housing association, you traditionally represent a social interest. After years in which some associations were doing a little too well for themselves, the landlord levy brought that to an abrupt end in 2013. The fact that the tax on social rented housing has been abolished again provides greater scope for meeting the challenges ahead, including making the existing housing stock more sustainable, providing affordable rental housing for middle-income earners and building new homes.

We are happy to assist you with the legal issues involved. Boels Zanders assists with strategic issues, transactions and permits. We will represent you in negotiations and litigation, and are well-versed in all the areas of law you are likely to face, such as real estate law, rental law and employment law. We can also advise you on file building and your responsibilities, e.g. in respect of tenants who cause nuisance. In doing so, we focus on the substance of the case but, wherever possible, opt for a pragmatic and solution-oriented attitude that helps both parties move forward.

Within the real estate sector, construction is a world unto itself. A world where you work with different parties and have to comply with many different laws and regulations, e.g. those relating to sustainability and the environment. Our lawyers are happy to bring some clarity to this complexity. We help you make effective agreements that make it clear where everyone’s responsibility lies. We identify risks and opportunities and point out what is possible within all the frameworks in which you work.

We avoid problems by taking future developments into account at an early stage, when contracts are being drafted. For example, what do you do if raw material prices rise sharply? Or if a project is delayed due to stricter standards being applied? And what about data and new technologies, which are changing the nature of some of your work? Boels Zanders will assist you with all these issues with legal advice and thorough knowledge of the sector.

Major construction projects involve wide-ranging, often very different, interests. Whether you are involved as a property developer, municipality, builder or investor, our lawyers would be happy to assist you with advice and guidance. They are uniquely well-versed in the interests and contradictions, even as more projects are being put on the market under strict tendering rules.

From advising and negotiating to litigation, our lawyers have extensive practical experience, knowledge and expertise to defend your legal and commercial interests. In doing so, we focus not on limitations, but on possibilities. Not on problems, but on solutions, so that the project you are involved in can be brought to a successful conclusion.

Real estate has long been considered a sound investment. That said, it is good to be prepared for change. This includes trends in the housing market, where returns are under pressure. Or shifts in the retail landscape, where online sales have been outstripping physical shops for years. Our lawyers will assist you with legal advice and thorough knowledge of the sector to enable you to respond carefully to these issues.

We provide advice and guidance, e.g. on leases, indexation or inflation adjustment or on making your property more sustainable – a challenge you will have to face anyway. Our specialists will make you aware of the legal and commercial consequences of the choices you make. We will point out your obligations in a timely manner. When drafting contracts, we consider not only today’s requirements and obligations, but also the steps you want to take tomorrow.