Manu - ArvoLex

Did you know that ArvoLex can offer all the legal and
property valuation services of agricultural and forest producers and rural entrepreneurs?

Who owns ArvoLex?

ArvoLex is a law and property valuation firm owned by the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), MTK member unions and the Central Union of Swedish-speaking Farmers and Forest Owners in Finland (SLC). Our services are part of the member services of these organisations. We offer members of these organisations a free-of-charge express counselling service as well as other benefits. You can find instructions on how to use this service on your union’s website where you will also find our other membership benefits and discounts.

ArvoLex has special expertise on rural conditions and decades of experience in handling the legal matters and property valuations of rural residents. Our down-to-earth experts have wide-ranging experience in handling client commissions all over Finland. We stand out from other law firms in that we can combine our expertise of the different areas of legal and property matters to benefit our clients. Our services are produced cost-effectively and our service selection covers everything from initial counselling to court action.

We cooperate closely with agricultural producer organisations and local unions to promote and advocate for the interests and needs of rural residents.

We offer you a diverse range of specialist services customised to your needs.

Drafting agreements concerning the farm must be done thoroughly with attention paid to all possible risks

Production agreements, building and drainage contracts, cooperation agreements, land leases/wind power agreements, field leases, etc.
All agreements must be drafted so that the terms are clear and unambiguous with no room for interpretation. You would do well to ask our lawyer’s opinion on the content of your agreement.

Complaints concerning agreements
Complaints must be evidentiary and drafted in writing – the claims and their justifications must be made known within a reasonable time after the breach of agreement. You should not wait around but consult our expert as soon as possible.

Reviewing standard agreements
Is a standard agreement template suitable for your situation or are deviations required? The content of an agreement is often up for negotiation, even with standard agreements, and here our negotiator can help you.

Possible contractual penalties
Can the damage be proven? How does a possible delay affect a further procedure, for example, and what sort of sanctions are involved if a procedure is delayed and this has a knock-on effect on the entrepreneur’s own subsequent, promised delivery?

Ensure the right level of compensation in agreements
Ensuring the appropriate compensation level is especially crucial in agreements that have to do with wind power, for example. Our expert can suggest a rent level to help you reach a favourable agreement.

Co-ownership arrangements must always be drafted meticulously together with an expert

Joint venture agreements or staggered transfer of operations
A co-ownership relationship can be created when parents bestow property to their children or grandchildren, or when a property is managed and utilised as a group. In a consortium or group, nearly all of the decisions must be made with the approval of all co-partners, and the comprehensive joint venture agreement we have drafted brings flexibility to decision-making in these situations.

The distribution of an estate by agreement or via an executor
When the estate of a deceased person needs to be distributed, the situation is often challenging, and even if this is not the case, having an expert deal with the situation in a professional manner facilitates reaching an agreement. In contentious situations we can also help by taking on the role of an official executor.

Dissolving the co-ownership of a property is possible with a partitioning procedure
The process is expensive and the end result rarely pleases the parties involved. The dissolving of co-ownership often involves the services of a trustee either for the entire process or only for movables if the partitioning process has already been initiated. With the help of our expert, reaching distribution by agreement is always worth your while.

Defining the actual value of real property
Valuation of real property plays a central role in ownership arrangements. Impartial and justified valuations are often a prerequisite for reaching an agreement. The valuation statements we provide are Authorised Property Valuer statements (AKA statements) that are considered to be the most reliable valuations in the sector even by financing institutions and the authorities.

Our experts can offer wide-ranging risk assessment of your farm with regard to family law and help you with the related agreements and negotiations

Wills and prenuptial agreements
Marriage creates a marital right to the spouse’s property and when the marriage is dissolved due to divorce or death, the assets are primarily distributed evenly. With a prenuptial agreement or last will and testament you can decide for yourself how your assets will be treated. Charting your situation and preplanning together with an expert makes things clear for you.

Power of attorney
Who manages your financial and personal matters in situations where you are still alive but no longer able to manage your own affairs? A letter of attorney grants a confidant of your choosing the power of attorney, or the right to manage your affairs. This right only enters into effect when necessary. Define the matters you wish to include in the power of attorney together with our lawyer.

Deed of gift
Planning for the inheritance tax is important. By withholding proprietary rights in the deed of gift you can reduce the amount of payable tax, for example. Tax planning aims to anticipate, minimise and rationalise tax payments. Choose the most economically sound solutions together with us.

Ownership arrangements
Is a deal, gift, gift-like deal or generational change becoming topical for you? How about the related tax questions or the statutory portion of a direct heir? You would do well to plan and prepare the ownership arrangements well in advance and find out how they affect all the different parties involved.

Property valuations in different conveyance situations
The comprehensive and impartial valuation statements provided by our Authorised Property Valuers (AKA valuers) are also accepted by financing institutions and the Finnish tax administration.

Our Authorised Property Valuers (AKAs) represent the best expertise in the field

The valuation of farms is one of the cornerstones of our expertise. It requires a special understanding of the countryside and its functions. We are experienced valuers of farms and woodland estates, offices, industrial properties, detached houses, holiday homes, tourism-related properties, specialty properties, healthcare properties and extractable and unimproved land areas.

We also provide valuations for land use agreements, as well as development compensation valuations related to zoning. Providing estimates of detrimental effects to property value, such as the valuation of noise nuisance and scenic harm, is our specialty.

Our Authorised Property Valuers (AKAs) represent the best expertise in the field and valuate properties impartially, independently and objectively. Our AKAs are committed to adhering to good property evaluation practices, international valuation standards and the rules, guidelines and decrees of the Finnish Property Valuation Board. The authorisation ensures the expertise of the property valuer and the high quality of the valuation statement. Our valuation statements are always produced in writing.

A valuation statement from an AKA can be handy in a wide variety of situations. The most common uses for it include investment-related value calculations, financial statements and other financial decision-making, tax-related situations, collateral valuations and other valuations of challenging properties, disputes concerning the value of properties and the prevention of such disputes, generational changes, distributions of estate and partitionings.

Matters related to environmental licenses have become even more prominent

Distance requirements of livestock accommodations
The reworked Environmental Protection Act introduced new livestock unit multipliers. The change increased the required distances between a project and the possibly disturbed target. The new Act is more open to interpretation, which means that consulting an expert is worth it.

Complaints, statements of defence and administrative appeals
In matters pertaining to environmental licenses, the parties involved are heard and this can lead to a trial in an administrative court. With an expert in your corner you ensure that your complaints, statements of defence and administrative appeals will take all important factors into account.

Taking a wider perspective on the environmental license
What are the best available techniques (BAT)? This is often a pertinent question when dealing with environmental licenses. You would do well to go over the statutes of the Environmental Protection Act together with a lawyer.

Taking care of zoning-related matters in a timely manner protects the value of your property

Zoning of a landowner’s property
If you think that a zoning decision diminishes your opportunities to utilise your property, the opinions, complaints and administrative appeals on the matter must be made at the right stages of the zoning process.

Land use agreement negotiations, reviewing the agreement, defining the value increment of the land
When negotiating a land use agreement, it is absolutely crucial to enlist the help of an expert in preparing and reviewing the agreement and defining the value of the land. Often the offered agreement contains something that needs to be corrected or improved.

Early influence is effective influence
Do not wait around but contact an expert immediately. When the influencing, cooperating and negotiating are begun at an early stage of the process, the final result will be the best possible one for the landowner.

Municipal land purchases, the right of first refusal, deal negotiations on unimproved land
Do not accept the first offer. There is always room for negotiation.

Rural properties are often subject to various expropriation proceedings

The expropriation stage of public road, power line and railroad projects, etc.
You should always submit a well justified compensation claim. Our property valuer will estimate all the losses, harm and damages to your property so that you can receive full compensation for them. The expropriator will also compensate you for using a representative – us. Last year, 86 % of our clients undergoing expropriation proceedings were fully compensated for their use of a property valuer, which meant that our services were free of charge for them in that respect.

Appeals on expropriation decisions
If you are unhappy with an expropriation decision, we can continue representing you in the matter in Land Court. There your case will be picked up by our lawyer experienced in compensation valuations. You can seek compensation for your appeal costs from your legal expenses insurance policy.

Voluntary negotiations and other land survey proceedings
We can also assist you in voluntary negotiations preceding the expropriation proceedings. These can involve buildings that are to be expropriated on the basis of a road construction plan, for example. Enlisting the help of an expert usually leads to a more favourable end result in the negotiations. If necessary, we can take care of the required complaints concerning road construction plans and expropriation permits on your behalf. Our experts can also assist you in other land survey proceedings, including parcelling, splitting, partial lot expropriations, expropriations of accretions and private road construction.

We can provide immediate expert support!

Contact ArvoLex’s lawyers and Authorised Property Valuers in all of your legal and property valuation needs. Our services are provided in a cost-effective manner.

We have successfully completed a multitude of commissions from members and you may ask for references on our services from the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), MTK member unions, forestry societies, the Central Union of Swedish-speaking Farmers and Forest Owners in Finland (SLC) and the Finnish Landowners’ Union.

ArvoLex can serve you anywhere in Finland. Our offices are situated in the premises of agricultural producer organisations in Espoo, Seinäjoki and Oulu.

Give us a call! The help of an expert is only a phone call away!