20 August 2020 - Article
Benjamin Hong
Associate, Withers KhattarWong* | Singapore
Withers KhattarWong LLP is a Singapore law practice, affiliated with Withers LLP.
Benjamin is an associate in our Singapore office, with a focus on the real estate, banking and finance practice areas.
In his real estate practice, Benjamin handles all aspects of property-related transactions, including corporate real estate, private client real estate, collective sale and conveyancing matters. He acts for government statutory bodies, real estate developers and ultra-high net worth individuals, among others, often advising in the acquisition and disposal of properties across the commercial, industrial and residential asset classes, including hotels, shophouses, industrial land sites and good class bungalows.
Further, Benjamin is actively involved in commercial leasing work, acting for master landlords in the lease of their office building and retail space to tenants, as well as for anchor tenants in the negotiation of tenancy agreements with their landlords. He also represents the Authority in various ongoing complex land development and sublease matters at Changi Airport.
On the banking and finance front, Benjamin regularly acts for major banks and leading financial institutions as lenders in various secured and unsecured lending transactions. His experience includes domestic and regional cross-border financing matters, with an emphasis in real estate financing involving housing, construction and development loans. He also represents corporate borrowers such as multinational corporations (MNCs) and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the negotiation of credit facilities and security documentation with their lenders.
Beyond combining his real estate, banking and finance legal background and skills to deliver practical long term solutions for clients, Benjamin’s diverse practice has also seen him make time to assist his clients on matters which complement his primary area of work, dabbling in the drafting of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, as well as making Grant of Probate applications at the Singapore courts when required.
Benjamin can communicate fluently in both English and Mandarin.
Track record
Admissions
Publications
Memberships
Talks
Represented a consortium involving a Singapore-listed company as well as Hong Kong and US-based real estate funds to acquire and finance the acquisition of a hotel and its operating business for S$235 million.
Advised an Asia-based family office in the concurrent acquisition of 2 high-end private residential strata units for more than S$50 million in aggregate and a S$45m office unit in a prime-site mixed-use development from one of the largest property developers in Singapore.
Assisted a leading self-storage facility operator in a series of JTC Corporation industrial building acquisitions and related financing arrangements.
Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, 2017
Withers insight – ‘Building a sustainable enbloc sale market: Keeping expectations realistic’ (8 January 2019)
Withers Asia Commercial Real Estate Guide – Singapore edition (1 February 2019)
Withers insight – ‘Singapore: Landlords and Tenants vs coronavirus’ (25 February 2020)
Law Society of Singapore
Singapore Academy of Law
Lunch & Learn at Bank of Singapore (13 June 2019) – ‘An Update on Singapore Real Estate Laws and Regulations’
Presentation at Julius Baer (15 July 2019) – ‘An Update on Singapore Real Estate Laws and Regulations’
Me in a minute
As a football fan, I derive no greater satisfaction than working as a team to assist clients with their goals.
Education
Languages
- English
- Mandarin