Monica YIP is the Head of the Corporate Group which predominantly encompasses the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, the Corporate Real Estate Practice and the Antitrust & Competition Practice. She is also the Head of the Corporate Real Estate Practice with experience in real estate work spanning more than 30 years. Her practice areas include property and property-related corporate transactions and investment work, acquisitions, disposals, securitisations, management and leasing of commercial, industrial and residential properties, property advisory work, property development and finance work, government land sales.

With an impressive track record in the legal industry, Monica has established herself as one of Singapore’s foremost practitioners in the field of real estate law. Monica is consistently recognised as a leading real estate practitioner by Chambers Asia Pacific – Asia Pacific’s Leading Lawyers for Business. She is included in The Legal 500: Asia Pacific – The Client's Guide to the Asia Pacific Legal Profession for her real estate work and is listed in Best Lawyers as a leading lawyer for Real Estate Law. She is also recognised as a Distinguished Practitioner for Real Estate by asialaw – The definitive guide to Asia's Leading Law Firms and Lawyers, 2024.

Known for her deep understanding of the real estate sector, Monica has received many accolades. Chambers Asia-Pacific highlights that she is a "very experienced real estate lawyer" and that "she knows how regulators would approach matters". She is recognised as someone who "provides clear and detailed advice” and who remains "always calm and collected” even in high-pressure situations. Clients praise her for her "deep knowledge of the workings of the industry" and her ability to provide "legally sound, clear and practical advice". She has also received commendations from clients given to Chambers Asia-Pacific highlighting that she is "good at outlining risks and coming up with solutions”. Her wealth of experience and commitment to excellence have cemented her status as one of Singapore’s leading real estate lawyers.

Monica graduated from the National University of Singapore and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.
 

Significant transactions that Monica has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:

  • The Singapore subsidiary of a global research-based biopharmaceutical company in its acquisition by its wholly-owned subsidiary of a site in Singapore's Tuas Biomedical Park, being a portion of larger site of land with existing plant, to further develop the site and establish a S$400 million bulk biologics manufacturing facility, a first in Asia.
  • A joint venture between 2 global real estate investment companies in the acquisition, build-to-suit redevelopment and leaseback of an industrial property in Singapore. The redevelopment of the property involved developing a new purpose-built sustainable five-storey best-in-class warehouse on the site (incorporating a rooftop solar facility) to replace the existing one-storey building. Bespoke terms and conditions had to be crafted in the agreement for sale and purchase to take into account issues arising from the proposed redevelopment.  
  • The operator of an offshore petroleum services base in respect of leases from Jurong Town Corporation and Singapore Land Authority of various pieces of land (the "Base") and the redevelopment and lease of various parts of the Base. The Base is a one-stop resource centre for oil field services, project logistics, equipment and supplies and has undergone redevelopment to cater to specific demands of the offshore oil and gas industry.
  • Frasers Centrepoint Asset Management Ltd. (the manager of Frasers Centrepoint Trust) and Frasers Property Limited in the joint acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Gold Ridge Pte. Ltd., from Mercatus Tres Pte. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Mercatus Co-operative Limited) for S$652.5 million. Gold Ridge Pte. Ltd. holds the suburban retail mall NEX, which is the largest suburban retail mall in northeast Singapore and was valued at S$2.08 billion as at 31 December 2022. The property is situated on land approved for mixed use, of which the retail mall comprises the commercial use component.
  • UOL Group Limited ("UOL") which owns the Parkroyal Kitchener Hotel, in its sale of Parkroyal Kitchener Hotel Pte Ltd ("PKH"), for S$525 million. The sale involved the disposal of five million ordinary shares of PKH, representing its entire issued and paid-up share capital. The disposal enabled UOL to unlock the value of its investment in PKH at an attractive price and served as part of the group's reconstitution of its property holdings.
  • Diamond Land Pte. Ltd. in its sale of a modern six-storey ramp-up logistics facility in Tuas South Link 1, Singapore for a sale price of approximately S$140.3 million to a sub-trust of Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust.

Related Practices

  • Corporate Real Estate
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts
  • Chambers Global Practice Guides - Real Estate - Singapore Chapter, 2017 – 2024 editions.
  • The Legal 500: Real Estate Country Comparative Guide, 2022 – 2024 editions.

Chambers Asia-Pacific

  • Real Estate – Band 3  

“Monica is an experienced counsel in this area. She can provide very commercial advice to the clients and she has the upper hand in negotiations.”

"She is extremely professional and knowledgeable.”

The Legal 500

  • Real Estate: Local Firms – Recognised  

asialaw

  • Real Estate – Distinguisehd Practitioner

Best Lawyers

  • Recognised in Real Estate Law

Contact Details

Qualifications

National University of Singapore (LL.B., Hons.)

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