Real estate & construction - Mazars - Netherlands

Knowing what is going on within the sector

The real estate & construction sector involves many different players: project developers, housing corporations, building and infrastructure contractors, installation companies, investors, managers, users of the property, etc. However, within this diverse range of parties and activities, there are evident common developments and challenges.

This not only requires effective cooperation, but also proper guidance with regard to the organisational, legal and fiscal aspects. Mazars assists companies in facing these challenges by pooling the available knowledge into the Real estate & construction Sector. In this way, our clients can rely on up-to-date knowledge and concrete advice.

The sector is brimming with dynamism. Companies are confronted with numerous external developments that require a strong response. These developments include:

• New contract forms whereby clients are relieved of all the associated burdens: from design, construction, engineering and financing to management and operation.
• An imminent change in the law regarding partnerships will affect joint ventures (both private and PPP), which have greatly increased in number over the last 15 years. Obviously the construction fraud scandal has cast a shadow on this sector, which can only be removed with transparency and openness in new forms of cooperation with regard to tendering procedures.
• During the last five years, the emphasis has shifted to sustainable construction, which involves such issues as climate change, affordable housing, waste management, mobility (infrastructure projects) and energy consumption.
• All these developments also affect the staff policy of the companies in the sector. Issues such as borrowing foreign staff or outsourcing work to self-employed persons without staff are an everyday occurrence in this context. Apart from timely completion, the quality of work and the associated guarantee provisions are obviously relevant as well.

Pooling top-quality knowledge

The aforementioned issues are familiar territory for the Mazars professionals. Based on their specific expertise and background, they assist clients in finding the right answers.

In order to assist clients in this sector with pragmatic support and high-quality advice, specialist knowledge of the sector is essential. Our experience has shown that only specialist knowledge of the sector creates added value for a client. This is why Mazars has pooled the practical knowledge of various disciplines – accountants, IT consultants, tax advisers and lawyers.

Staying up-to-date

The professionals in this Sector constantly keep their specialist knowledge up-to-date so that they can always provide you with a proactive contribution. Furthermore, they have gained extensive practical experience with a wide variety of clients in this sector, ranging from contractors to project developers.

The expertise of the Sector covers areas such as the following:

• VAT (turnover tax) and property transfer tax issues
• Property tax
• Corporate income tax – including profit-taking method, depreciation of property and valuation of work in progress
• Corporate income tax liability of housing corporations
• Correct project planning (for legal and tax purposes)
• Legal issues (specific contracts) – in collaboration with Pellicaan Advocaten
• Valuation issues
• Audit
• Liability legislation (Sequential Liability Act) for payroll tax purposes