Concepts for the Cooperative Sector

Registered cooperatives (eingetragene Genossenschaften) are a particularly suitable legal form, especially in the context of services of public interest (e.g. the provision of affordable housing), to make an effective contribution to overcoming the immense challenges in this area. DSC Legal is therefore particularly committed to strengthening the cooperative business model, true to the basic idea of the cooperatives and their founding father Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen: "What one person cannot achieve is achieved by many”. We create cooperative concepts for our clients and assist them in their implementation.

A current example is the "Job & Living" concept, in which we provided comprehensive legal advice to the founding members of the Erste Mitarbeiterwohnungsbaugenossenschaft "Job & Wohnen" Berlin eG, the first employee housing cooperative established in Germany, from the concept to the draft of its founding statutes, the formation audit by the auditing association to the formation and entry in the register of cooperatives. In connection with the preparation and implementation of the pilot project and further employee housing construction projects at 10 locations in Germany currently planned, we advise the aforementioned cooperative with regard to the acquisition of building plots (e.g. drafting/review and negotiation of land purchase and leasehold agreements), financing (e.g. review and negotiation of loan agreements and agreements on the provision of loan collateral, drafting of member loan agreements), the subsequent development (e.g. drafting/review and negotiation of construction and general contractor agreements), the obtaining of subsidies (e.g. housing subsidies) and the future operation of completed employee housing (e.g. drafting of rental agreements on tied leased dwellings) as well as issues relating to cooperative law.