Real Estate
London remains a key destination for both domestic and international buyers of real estate. Teacher Stern has been heavily involved in the London real estate sector since its establishment in 1967. This involvement has given us an in-depth understanding of the sector and the way it operates; an understanding which enables us to provide commercial, timely and practical advice to our clients that helps them to achieve their business objectives.
Our real estate team brings together lawyers from a number of different practice areas including Real Estate, Banking & Finance, Tax, Corporate and Dispute Resolution.
The combined expertise of our Real Estate team enables us to provide specialist legal advice throughout the full life cycle of real estate, from the planning and construction stages through to financing, development, sale and leasing. We also advise on ongoing and day-to-day operational issues involving portfolio management for landlords and on day to day lease and property issues for retailers and restauranteurs.
We have significant experience in dealing with emerging asset classes such as care homes and student accommodation, as well as more traditional forms of investments including retail, office, hotels and leisure centres.
Teacher Stern’s Legal 500 ranked Real Estate Finance team continues to act for many of the largest banks in the City, as well as a significant number of borrowers, on a vast array of real estate finance matters. The team delivers a full range of legal services to real estate clients including property investment and development finance, acquisition finance, lending and security and general banking advice.
Our Real Estate Tax team, which is ranked by both the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, regularly advises real estate clients on matters relating to hotels, leisure centres, restaurants, cafes, shopping centres and retail units. The team also has significant experience in advising clients on real estate matters in other sectors such as financial services, social housing, data management, healthcare and the charitable sector.
In addition to advising on joint ventures for clients involved in property investment and development, our specialist Corporate Real Estate team also advises on high value transactions involving the acquisition and disposal of both commercial and residential property. Many of these transactions have multi-jurisdictional elements arising from the use of complex corporate wrappers involving offshore companies and property unit trusts.
Our experienced Real Estate Dispute Resolution team works both directly with landlords, tenants, property professionals and hand in hand with the firm’s transactional team to identify and implement robust solutions for issues arising out of real estate ownership or occupation. The team is firmly focused on extracting added value and its approach is pragmatic and cost effective.
Our broad client base reflects the diversity and scope of our real estate practice. We act for domestic and international developers, house-builders investors, lenders, private companies, funds, hotel owners and operators and retailers.
Whatever your business, our experience and expertise in the real estate sector will help you achieve your commercial objectives.
Representative work
Examples of our Real Estate work include:
- Advised the Yoo Group on its joint venture with Frasers Property Group relating to the financing and building of a £131m mixed-use development in Vauxhall.
- Advised on the acquisition and disposal of various shopping centres across the UK; including the sale of two high value malls situated at London Underground stations for a combined value of £270m.
- Advised on the £29m sale of a landmark London hotel held by an offshore trust.
- Advised on the £90m acquisition of a residential property in Knightsbridge.
- Advised on the £212.5m sale of Holborn Links to the Triangle Group.
Key contacts:
Biography
Involved in all sectors of property development and investment, Oliver has broad experience in dealing with high-value investment purchases and sales, often by way
of complex tax and funding structures.
He has significant expertise in complex pre-letting transactions, site assembly (both commercial and residential) developments, and establishing limited partnerships
and unit trusts.
Oliver also advises major retailers on store acquisitions and disposal programmes
and administrators on the sale of property assets on insolvency.
Year qualified
Solicitor, 1999
Significant transactions include:
- Purchase of Victoria Place Shopping Centre in London for £92.5 million which included a £257 million portfolio refinance
- £145 million acquisition of a landmark London office building, by way of a Shariah-compliant corporate and funding structure
- Acquired a London shopping centre for £119 million, by way of a sub-sale into a Jersey Unit Trust
- Advised developer in relation to construction of a shopping centre above a London Underground station, dealing with substantial pre-lets and disposal for c.£100 million by way of partnership interest disposal
- Purchase of a London landmark listed building for a residential developer to convert to 100 luxury flats
- Engineered the smooth entry into the UK of a major French retailer
- Advised a major developer on a mixed-use retail and residential scheme in Cardiff
- Advised healthcare company in taking a substantial lease of a hospital