Growth of the real estate industry in Panama in recent years is noticeable, not just locally but at a regional level as well. Iconic architectural works such as the Trump Tower, F&F Tower (popularly called the “Screw”) among others, attracts positive criticism from different actors in the business and associations in the construction, development and promotion of the real estate business. In part, real estate growth in Panama is due to the ease in the execution of real estate transactions ...
Recent news reports show that IKEA, the world famous Swedish multinational retailer, is getting ready to invest EUR 88 million in the construction of a Designer Outlet complex in Croatia. The company, whose Croatian division opened on the outskirts of Zagreb in August 2014 and has since been welcoming over 1.5 million customers on an annual basis, has decided to embark on such an endeavour in order to tap into a yet unseen mix of outlet retail and leisure entertainment in the region ...
There has been an exciting development in the entertainment industry, as the Czech company"Sebre a.s."bought a 20% stake in Serbian "Avala film" – an iconic studio hailing from the golden age of Yugoslavian film ...
There is a growing trend of initial public offerings of debt in Israel by U.S. (and Canadian) real estate companies with income-producing real estate and the listing of the bonds for trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. During 2014 and 2015, approximately 15 such real estate companies completed public debt offerings in Israel, the large majority of which were initial public offerings, raising approximately NIS 8 billion in total (equivalent to approximately US$2 billion) during such period ...
The Supreme Court of Canada issued its reasons today in Krayzel Corp. v. Equitable Trust Co., 2016 SCC 18, adding some clarification to a mortgage lender’s right to protect itself from the increased commercial risk associated with a defaulting mortgagor through the use of interest rates, given s. 8 of the Interest Act which reads as follows: "No fine, etc ...
Recent news reports are claiming that Mercator is expected to sell its chains of sporting goods stores, Intersport and Modiana, by the end of July. This kind of activity would be the latest in a longer line of investments that Mercator has been selling off, including Pekarna Grosuplje and Mercator-Embi, all of it as means of shifting the corporate focus to the company's main activity – trade ...
The Ministry of Commerce under the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar issued Notification no. 56/2016 on 7 July 2016, announcing that permits for the trading of construction materials may be granted to joint-venture companies with a foreign partner. This means that foreign companies can now form a joint-venture company and import constructions materials– they could not do this in the past ...
Effective September 18, 2016, anyone wishing to obtain a general contractor licence will be required to first provide security of at least $40,000. The amount will be $20,000 for specialized contractors. Effective January 21, 2017, the Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting the professional qualification of contractors and owner-builders also amends the description of the work authorized for some contractors specialized in heating, ventilation and refrigeration ...
News reports are informing us that Belgrade will gain another bridge over the Danube river in the near future – this one at the Ada Huja island and over three kilometres long. The basic purpose of this bridge will be to connect the Pančevo road with the Slanci road, according to the City officials. It is planned for the bridge to be built in four segments, as the initial documentation is expected to be finalised in early 2018 at the latest ...
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") published an informational guide to help settlement professionals navigating the changes that are a part of the Know Before You Owe mortgage initiative. After months of preparation, the TRID Rule became effective last fall, with the promise to help consumers make informed decisions about mortgage choices. Since that time, the CFPB has issued multiple updates and tweaks to the rule and requirements ...
A recent case has demonstrated the importance of inspecting the boundaries of a property before buying it. Solicitors will generally advise a client buying a property to carry out an inspection beforehand, to check that nothing unusual is revealed. Typical issues that might be spotted are boundaries that do not follow the Land Registry's title plan and gaps in a fence suggesting that third parties are using the property as a short cut ...
The British Columbia Law Institute published on September 1, 2016 its Consultation Paper on Complex Stratas seeking public comments on proposed reforms to the Strata Property Act and its regulations concerning sections, types, and phases. The BCLI carries out scholarly research, writing and analysis for law reform, collaborating with government and other entities, and providing materials and support for outreach and public information ...
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("CAFC") issued an important ruling today in the ongoing evolution of biosimilar product regulation. In the ruling today, the CAFC in Amgen Inc., Amgen Manufacturing Limited v. Apotex Inc., Apotex Corp. (CAFC Case No. 2016-1308) affirmed the district court ruling and held that the commercial-marketing provision in 42 U.S.C ...
An interesting news update has recently come up in the media, as the Serbian roads company "Putevi Srbije", and the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure – together with the representatives of the relevant institutions in Romania – announced that a contract on implementing a cross border project of building the Belgrade-Timisoara highway is due to be signed in the next two weeks ...
This article is originaly published in IBA International Real Estate News. During 2015, one major acquisition of real estate property occurred in the Serbian real estate market. What happened was that a major international bank purchased over 8,000 sqm of space in two office buildings located in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. In fact, the buyer only acquired the parts of the buildings, while it already owned a significant part of this property ...
Legal Regime Regarding Real Estate The Serbian legal regime recognises private ownership of real estate, including land and buildings ...
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation on December 13, 2016 to provide developers of market rate projects with 24 or fewer dwellings with the option of contributing the required fees for off-site affordable housing (under the Inclusionary Housing Program) to a Small Sites Fund administered by the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development ("MOHCD") ...
"The best things in life are free, the second best things are very, very expensive."—Coco Chanel Think of the most expensive cities in the world to live and places like London, New York and Paris come to mind. These cities epitomize the pinnacle of sophisticated and luxurious living, as romanticized all too often on the silver screen ...
During the Summer of 2013, we interviewed a group of owners who had completed IPD projects. Some owners had many IPD projects under their belts and others only one or two. But all were willing to share their experience and advice to help other owners. The transcripts were summarized in a white paper, still available on the Hanson Bridgett website, Integrated Project Delivery: The Owner’s Perspective ...
ALRUD Real Estate practice Specialists, Andrey Zharskiy, ALRUD Partner, Stanislav Veselov, ALRUD Senior Associate, Galina Kulikova and Ksenia Bondarenko, ALRUD Attorneys, prepared an Article for the Newsletter of the Real Estate Section of the International Bar Association Legal Practice Division. The article, “Don’t be Trapped in Lease Agreements” covers main pitfalls that tenants in Russia may face while terminating a commercial real estate lease agreement ...
The American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) recently revised its Construction Industry Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures. The revised rules became effective on July 1, 2015 and include a host of changes, large and small. Here is what you need to know: Increased Thresholds for Regular and Fast Track Proceedings (Rules R-1 and F-1) AAA provides different procedures for “regular track” and “fast track” proceedings ...
What is a Mechanic’s Lien? In South Carolina, construction liens, called mechanic’s liens, are automatically created by statute to protect anyone “to whom a debt is due for labor performed or furnished or for materials furnished and actually used in the erection, alteration, or repair of a building or structure upon real estate or the boring and equipping of wells.” S.C. Code Ann. § 29-5-10 ...
Everyone likes pie of some sort, especially around the holidays. For those working in the construction industry, the rapidly developing energy sector appears to be an ever-expanding “Job Pie” for contractors designing, managing, supplying, engineering, clearing and erecting projects for participants in the energy sector. For clues on how to follow the pie crumbs to real construction jobs, I turned to Melvin Stroble of Black & Veatch. Here is a slice of the information Mr ...
Imagine you are a materialman, selling indoor carpet to the contractors. You are approached by a West Virginia developer that wants you to supply carpet and flooring for several houses in a new development. The contract represents $50,000 in new business for your company – and you hope it marks the establishment of a productive relationship with the developer ...
Have you ever fought in a war? Chances are, you have. Participated in a proxy war that is. Harassing and coercing are some common tactics used in the attempt to obtain as many proxies as possible to wrest majority control. There has even been a situation where an individual held 250 proxies – effectively being able to make every decision solely ...
