Real Estate Law

Real Estate Law

The best investment on Earth is Earth.”

Louis Glickman

With You All The Way

We advise private individuals and businesses worldwide on all aspects of real estate transactions — whether you are buying or selling single units or entire buildings or legal disputes with it.

From the moment you decide to invest until the final closing, we guide you through the entire process – or step in for specific legal matters as needed. We ensure smooth, secure, and efficient transactions.

Cost and Time Efficient

If you need help with negotiation or drafting of commercial or residential lease agreements, we guide you through the process and ensure that your legal intentions are met. Also, we try to ensure that future conflicts with such agreements are avoided.

While being in business since over 20 years, we can use our connections and contacts to help you with real estate financing as well and direct you with this regards. If you want to conduct a due diligence before buying, we work on a cost and time effective basis. This refers as well to environmental or planning issues as well as bigger project development matters of real estate.

Long-Term Relationships

We are happy to say, that all of our clients are still supported by us after buying properties – either on issues or clarification with management matters, with their financing banks (e.g. application for a refinancing) or with commercial or residential tenants. We appreciate the trust which is giving in our work but also the safety and confidence our clients feel by being supported by us.

Our Legal Services in Real Estate Law

Services - Real Estate Law

Property Purchases and Sales

Real property purchase contracts must be signed before a notary, and this is a legally significant act. There are a number of legal issues that must be discussed in connection with this act, because, as a result of these issues, a certain practice and procedure for concluding and performing a real estate contract has developed. Before the parties agree on the date of the meeting before the notary (where notarization of the purchase agreement will take place), we support that our clients make a careful inspection of the property, including legal due diligence and commissioning a technical examination of the construction of all buildings on the site by a qualified personnel. If you are selling your property, we advise and support you on collecting all legal documents which have to be provided to the buyer within such a due diligence.

After conducting a successful due diligence, we help our clients to negotiate the purchase or sales contract with the other party and make sure that the agreed terms will be included in the notarial contract. In case you cannot come to Germany personally for signing, we may represent you and sign on your behalf and lead you through the formalities required for such a proceeding.

Commercial and Residential Lease Negotiations

Commercial and residential lease negotiations require careful legal drafting, strategic planning, and a clear understanding of the parties’ long-term interests. AHNEFELD LAW advises landlords, tenants, developers and investors on the negotiation and preparation of lease agreements for offices, retail premises, industrial properties and residential real estate. We assist in structuring favourable terms relating to rent, maintenance obligations, renewals, termination rights and liability provisions, while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations. With a pragmatic and detail-oriented approach, we seek to minimise risks and prevent future disputes. Our services provide clients with secure, balanced, and commercially sound lease arrangements tailored to their specific objectives and property interests.

Real Estate Financing and Due Diligence

In case a buyer of a property in Germany requires real estate financing from a German bank, Ahnefeld Law will help with collecting the necessary legal documents for the application process with the bank and coordinate this with your financing broker. We advise you on the creation of mortgage for the bank and may represent you in the notarisation of it before the notary in Germany. After a financing agreement was successfully signed, the bank and the financing broker have done their jobs. That is when our part becomes even more necessary here, because we support and help our clients when they need to “call in” the loan for payout to the seller. We thereby guarantee a smooth transaction so that payment deadlines are met.

Ahnefeld Law is conducting for you also a careful and short term due diligence on the property you intend to buy to make sure any “red flegs” are not overseen and you “know” what you purchase.

Environmental and Planning Issues

Environmental and planning issues play a decisive role in the development, acquisition and management of real estate projects. AHNEFELD LAW advises property owners, developers, investors and commercial operators on the complex legal and regulatory requirements governing land use, construction, environmental compliance and urban planning.

We assist clients in navigating zoning regulations, planning permissions, environmental impact assessments, contaminated land matters and sustainability obligations affecting residential, commercial and industrial developments.

With a strategic and commercially focused approach, we work closely with clients to identify potential legal risks at an early stage and to develop practical solutions that support efficient project execution. We also represent clients in negotiations with public authorities and in disputes relating to planning decisions, environmental liabilities and regulatory enforcement measures. Combining technical legal expertise with a clear understanding of the real estate sector, we provide reliable guidance designed to protect investments and facilitate successful long-term property development.

Project Development, Liens and Encumbrances

Project development requires careful legal structuring, thorough due diligence, and ongoing risk management to ensure that complex real estate and infrastructure projects proceed efficiently and securely. AHNEFELD LAW advises developers, investors, lenders and property owners on all legal aspects of project planning and execution, with a particular focus on liens, encumbrances and secured interests affecting land and assets. We assist in identifying, analysing and resolving existing burdens on property, as well as structuring financing arrangements that appropriately allocate security and risk.

Our services include the drafting and negotiation of development agreements, financing documentation and security packages, ensuring clarity and enforceability throughout the project lifecycle. We also support clients in coordinating with public authorities, contractors and financial institutions to maintain legal certainty and minimise delays.

Combining technical expertise with a pragmatic approach, we help clients manage legal complexity in large-scale developments, safeguarding investments and enabling the successful implementation of projects from inception through completion.

What our clients are saying

“I have been a client of Ms. Ahnefeld for 15 years. She and her colleagues are extraordinarily approachable and responsive, and very thorough in the follow up. They are particularly helpful in guiding their foreign clients through unfamiliar territory, which gives the non-native a confidence and sense of security that is an important part of the legal process. An expert law firm that is very client-focused.”
Client from USA
“A friend recommended Ahnefeld Lawfirm when I was dealing with a challenging problem last year. From the outset, I was put at ease by their straightforward approach, transparency and professionalism. There were multiple hurdles to be overcome during the process but each one was met with efficiency and competency. It was a stellar service from start to finish.”
Client from Ireland
“Janin and her firm have been crucial partners in my journey in Germany. From vetting property contracts to filing taxes to defending and winning a case for me; she has done it all with ease and finesse. I highly appreciate her work especially as an investor who’s not grown up in Germany and therefore my grasp of the German language has been very basic. She has been an extremely valuable asset.”
Client from India
“As an Israeli entrepreneur I keep business relationship with Janin more than 10 years. I enjoy her professionalism and quick reaction to changing business situation. Janin succeeded to provide envelope of business services from her partners in Germany (including notaries,real estate brokers,developers in different countries) and Israel,that significantly increase additional value for business . I appreciate so much our deep business relationship during years.”
Client from Israel
“Twelve years have passed since I first met Janin back in 2014. From my time working in Germany to my current life in China, I have consistently entrusted her with all my German legal affairs. Her rigorous work attitude, professional dedication, and client-oriented service have fully earned my deep trust.”
Client from China
“I was referred to Ms Ahnefeld by a friend who had previously benefited from her firm’s services. Ms Ahnefeld has been highly responsive, detail-oriented and strategic in handling a complex tenancy dispute involving extensive documentation and cross-border issues. As a non-German speaker, I particularly appreciated her ability to work clearly and professionally in English throughout the process. Her communication has been clear, pragmatic and well-structured, and she was quick to identify inconsistencies in the data.”
Client from Switzerland / France
“Janin supported us through several real estate matters in Germany, including identifying problematic real-estate deals before we committed to them, reviewing the purchase contract for our apartment, and currently representing us in an ongoing legal dispute. Throughout all of these processes, she was extremely professional, detail-oriented, and trustworthy. As foreigners unfamiliar with the German legal system, we especially appreciated her ability to explain complex procedures patiently. Her advice gave us confidence and helped us avoid costly mistakes.”
Client from Israel
“As a British citizen with property interests in Berlin, German business and tax law can often seem perplexing, complex, and difficult to manage. Janin Ahnefeld has helped us to navigate, understand and remain compliant throughout our 10-year relationship with the firm. She is always extremely prompt in replying to messages, she is approachable and she demystifies the rules and regulations so that you can feel confident that you are compliant and working to the best of your abilities. I couldn’t recommend her and her company more highly.”
Clients from UK
“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Ahnefeld Lawfirm spanning many years. Throughout our collaboration, we have come to fully trust Janin’s legal opinions and guidance — her expertise and dedication have been invaluable to us.”
Clients from China
“Janin Ahnefeld represented me in an exceptionally complex family gift of a flat in Berlin and guided me through every tax and legal challenge with expertise and patience. She also took on the difficult process of evicting a non-paying tenant – no small feat in Berlin – and managed everything so smoothly that I was ultimately able to sell the apartment at the best possible price. What truly sets Janin apart is her personal, well-rounded follow-up care. She doesn’t just handle your case; she stays by your side. We even became friends along the way. I trust her completely and wholeheartedly recommend her and her law firm.”
Client from Ukraine
“I’ve known Janin for more than 15 years, during which time she helped me both acquire and sell multiple properties in Berlin. Beyond legal services, she was instrumental in my dealings with banks and pension funds that partially financed these transactions. Throughout this time, our cooperation and communication were simultaneously easy, enjoyable, and incredibly focused and professional—all this while I spend most of my time in the Far East. I’ve referred numerous friends from Australia, Southeast Europe, and elsewhere, and everyone received the same top notch service. After all these years, I consider her both a friend and a business partner, and I hope to work with her again in Berlin soon.”
Client from Serbia
“I have been working with Janin for almost 10 years for my annual tax matters, and she has always been professional, reliable, and extremely efficient. I always feel that everything is handled carefully and correctly. She provided excellent support with legal and administrative matters related to my apartment, including handling the termination process of a tenant contract after the tenant sadly passed away. Her guidance made a very difficult situation much easier to manage. When I had issues with neighbors complaining about my tenant smoking heavily, she handled the matter calmly and professionally and helped me find the right way to deal with the situation. What I value most is her responsiveness, professionalism, and the confidence she gives me that everything is under control.”
Client from Israel
“Janin Ahnefeld has provided me, since the purchase of my studio in Berlin in 2012, with all the legal assistance and expertise I have ever needed, from tax returns amid changing regulations to the delicate estate settlement that had to be handled with the relevant French authorities following my husband’s passing. All of this with as much professionalism and responsiveness as warm, genuine empathy!”
Client from France

A Relationship Built On Trust.

Work With Us

Legal matters often intersect with personal lives, families, and futures. We take that responsibility seriously.

If you are looking for an expert legal advisor who thinks ahead, communicates clearly and stands firmly on your side, we should talk.

Schedule a confidential consultation

Telephone: +49 30 34 35 60 38
E-Mail: contact@ahnefeldlaw.com

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