Activities

Real estate transactions are ruled by standards closed to mergers and acquisitions of companies but are also governed by specific market practices which are well known by our lawyers. Working on industrial partnerships also requires to quickly catch the specificities of the sector as well as the industrial processes.

Due to the fact that some of our lawyers are also graduated in management or were company managers, they know how to conceal legal rules together with a pragmatic business approach.

Thanks to their experience in international leading law firms, UrbanLaw’s lawyers have the appropriate background to properly and quickly apprehend your needs and put in place highly professional due diligence processes.

Our team will assist you in the negotiation of your transactions, even in the context of a dispute while taking into account the specificities of your deal.

Real estate transactions are ruled by standards closed to mergers and acquisitions of companies but are also governed by specific market practices which are well known by our lawyers. Working on industrial partnerships also requires to quickly catch the specificities of the sector as well as the industrial processes.

Due to the fact that some of our lawyers are also graduated in management or were company managers, they know how to conceal legal rules together with a pragmatic business approach.

Thanks to their experience in international leading law firms, UrbanLaw’s lawyers have the appropriate background to properly and quickly apprehend your needs and put in place highly professional due diligence processes.

Our team will assist you in the negotiation of your transactions, even in the context of a dispute while taking into account the specificities of your deal.

Territory planning is created by a complex structure of rules and tools which evolves promptly.

In this field, the Belgian Federal State, the Regions, the Provinces and the Communes exercise their powers, each in his sphere.

The scope of application of this regulation cover a wide range of areas including the heritage protection of monuments and sites, the rehabilitation of economic areas, the urban revitalization, the rural development (including NATURA 2000), the housing policy as well as the tourism expansion.

Thanks to well positioned advice, territory planning could actually become beneficial rather than restrictive.

New regulation often creates opportunities for the private sector as for example in the context of urban or industrial blights.

UrbanLaw’s attorneys provide you with a niche and specialized expertise in this field. They advise individuals and promoters who are willing to gain the maximum potential from the applicable regulation as well as to local authorities concerned by the optimization of the regulatory instruments governing their territory.

The implementation, modification or exploitation of real estate and industrial projects are subject to permits prescribed by three Belgian Regions (and among others : planning, environmental, patrimonial and social-economic permits).

Permit application procedures are regularly modified because of new regulation or when case-law is overturned. Due to this lack of regulation stability, you need attorneys who are focused on frequent regulatory changes and are able to manage complex legal instruments.

Moreover, time limits for procedures and potential risks of disputes (with the neighborhood or the public administration) could worry an investor or a promoter who is not advised properly.

UrbanLaw’s team offers high-level services in relation to permits. This allows you to execute, modify or subsequently legalize your projects.

Besides an in-depth knowledge of the regulation, our attorneys have the experience of working on the ground, with the administration.

Thanks to the constant development of the European environmental regulation, environmental rules are being rapidly carried forward.

The scope of application of this regulation is growing and rules about environmental liability are stricter.

Concerning financial and timing issues, environmental matters play a crucial role in the project implementation. In this regard, our attorneys are specifically trained to work on, and with, impact reports as well as environmental studies.

Real estate projects are highly concerned by the protection of soil as well as of ground and surface water. Our team is therefore focused on these issues and is frequently reviewing the regulation of the three Belgian Regions (the Walloon law being under revision).

UrbanLaw’s attorneys are cooperating on a regular basis with recommended consultants specialized in soil analysis and depollution. Our team is also used to negotiations with the administration in order to work out the appropriate depollution actions and the timing for the completion of these measures.

Our attorneys provide, as well, advice regarding the recent developments in relation to energy performance certificates and to the restriction of the CO2 emissions. These concerns are now extensively used for an appropriate valuation of a building.

Construction law is a complex matter which needs to be addressed adequately in order to avoid potential liabilities of the promoters or entrepreneurs involved. This kind of activities could lead to many disputes if there are not handled within an appropriate legal framework.

The sale of buildings to be constructed or under construction is governed by strict rules. So, property developers and promoters are very exposed to potential civil and criminal sanctions.

Our attorneys, who are used to the various and specific laws of the construction sector, will assist you in order to prepare the project documentation. When, unfortunately, a claim is introduced against you, we will manage it in an efficient and constructive way.

As a preventive measure, UrbanLaw’s advises you for the implementation of a risk policy specifically dedicated to your project.

Among others, we provide guidance when you are subscribing to an insurance coverage (P.I. – Professional Indemnity, property insurance, D&O, etc.). This advice will allow you to have a tailor-made coverage.

When the risk occurs, our specialists are used to handle complex insurance claims and will assist you through the proceedings in order to preserve liabilities and minimize your exposure.