

Real Estate Investments, Joint Ventures and Structures
With our knowledge of the real estate sector and close collaboration across a worldwide network, our lawyers can add value to clients' transactions through high-quality, practical and tax-efficient advice.
Our Real Estate team advises leading real estate investors on their acquisitions, investments and disposals of major real estate assets. We represent owners, investors, investment banks, private equity houses, sovereign wealth funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in all kinds of major real estate transactions from both the equity and the debt sides.
We cover the full range of real estate advice for retail, office and residential properties, such as handling complex title issues, negotiating leases with anchor tenants, restrictions under zoning and building law and/or management agreements. Another focus of our practice is the development of large commercial properties where we work closely together with our zoning and building law specialists. Moreover, our real estate finance, tax-and fund-structuring partners ensure that all relevant aspects of a complex transaction are covered with the same outstanding level of expertise.
We are not just skilled in direct real estate matters – they also have profound experience in closely related areas such as direct and indirect real estate acquisitions and the negotiation of corporate-style documentation in M&A style transactions. It is this international reach and use of sophisticated structuring techniques that sets us apart from many competitors.
While we specialise in complex international cross-border work in close cooperation with our real estate finance and tax practices, our knowledge of the property market – and the demands of property finance – means that we bring a commercial approach to our clients’ businesses.
Many of the real estate acquisitions we handle are on- and offshore corporate purchases designed to maximise tax efficiency, so our team is well versed in negotiating share or unit sale and purchase agreements. Deals are often structured in offshore jurisdictions such as Luxembourg, where we have our own office, or Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman or the British Virgin Islands, where we have strong relationships with leading local law firms.
Our real estate transaction practice is an integral part of our Alternative Investments Group, in which we combine our asset expertise and market knowledge across disciplines for the benefit of all investors in this field.
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News and insights

Publications: 12 January 2022
Germany: future trends and challenges for the real estate market 2021/2022
In this video, Allen & Overy Partners Jochen Scheel and Christian Hilmes discuss the key trends they have seen develop in the German real estate market including the building investment pressure, the…

Publications: 12 January 2022
German Federal Court of Justice ruling: no blanket rent cut for pandemic-related business closures
With its ruling passed on 12 January 2022, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof; BGH) upheld the appeal brought against the judgment passed by the Higher Regional Court…

Publications: 25 November 2021
The 177-page coalition agreement of the three parties set to form the new government in Germany provides for numerous innovations in the German real estate sector. In future, building and housing is…
Recognition
Tier 1 Firm for Real Estate Finance
Legal 500 2020
Tier 2 Firm for Real Estate
Legal 500 2020
According to a real estate client: "Allen & Overy is characterised by a high degree of responsiveness and is able to develop pragmatic solutions under time pressure, even in complicated situations."
Chambers Europe 2019
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Our Real Estate/Real Estate Finance practice in Germany
Alternative Investments Group

Our expertise
Today, alternative investments have become an integral part of institutional investor portfolios. Our Alternative Investments Group pools all the necessary expertise and supports you in your investments on a global scale.