Ho Kin San

Partner

Kin San is Co-Head of the Corporate Real Estate Department of Allen & Gledhill.

He has over 30 years of experience in corporate real estate work, and is regularly recognised in independent legal directories such as Chambers Asia-Pacific which ranks him as a leading real estate practitioner, and notes that Kin San “is described by peers as an ‘admirable opponent’”, “earns praise for his deft handling of corporate real estate issues”, has “a prominent reputation for REIT work” and “is good at thinking outside the box”. In addition, he is recommended for his involvement in Real Estate and Construction in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Kin San’s active practice sees him frequently acting in the largest property acquisition and divestment deals in Singapore, as well as a wide spectrum of other significant property-related transactions including the establishment of REITs, asset securitisation, property joint ventures, property joint development, master leasing and build to suit projects, across all property sectors including retail malls, office complexes, industrial buildings, hotels, serviced apartments and healthcare buildings. 

His clients include major real estate investment trusts, private equity property funds, government-linked companies, co-operative societies, statutory boards, management corporations, real estate developers and property investors both in Singapore and overseas.

Kin San graduated from the National University of Singapore with an LL.B (Hons) degree in 1987, and took an LL.M. specialising in Commercial and Corporate Law from King’s College, London in 1991. He is a contributor to the Halsbury’s Laws of Singapore chapter on Land, and Thomson Reuters Practical Law’s Corporate Real Estate Global Guide, Commercial Real Estate in Singapore: Overview. Kin San has been a member of the Singapore Bar since 1988.

Work Highlights

• Advised Far East Organization (the largest private property developer in Singapore), Sekisui House (a developer listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange) and Sino Group (a property developer in Hong Kong) in their S$1.21 billion acquisition of the land parcel at Holland Road, Singapore for the development of a mixed commercial and residential project, using a joint development structure.
• Advised Lendlease Corporation Limited in the establishment of Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (a Singapore REIT now listed on the Singapore Exchange), including the acquisition of 313@somerset, a prime retail mall as part of the initial portfolio of the REIT for S$1.003 billion.
• Advised two of the largest public listed property developers in Singapore, CapitaLand Limited and City Developments Limited in their acquisition of a 99-year leasehold interest in the land parcel at Sengkang Central for approximately S$778 million, using a joint development structure, from the Government under a Concept and Price Revenue tender system.
• Advised LOGOS SE Asia (Funds Management) Pte Ltd in its acquisition of a 2.69 million square feet industrial site at 20 Tuas South Avenue 14 for S$585 million, and the master leasing to the vendor of the site, which houses an integrated industrial and warehouse facility with a total gross floor area of 1.6 million square feet.
• Advised Surbana Jurong (one of the largest Asia-based urban and infrastructure consulting firms) in a built-to-suit and master lease transaction for a development project to be built in the Jurong Innovation District, to house Surbana Jurong’s new campus and global headquarters in Singapore.
• Advised Guthrie GTS Limited and Lee Kim Tah Holdings in their divestment of Jurong Point mall to Mercatus Co-operative Limited, one of the NTUC social enterprises, for S$2.2 billion by way of seven inter-conditional sale and purchase agreements.