Family-office mandate
Seven properties, three generations, one standing family-office retainer.
A Zurich investor couple wanted to build a multi-generation Dubai allocation across three years — with a tax structure, succession plan and a mix of cashflow assets and heritage units. Thirty-six months in, the mandate is a standing portfolio retainer.
- Client
- Investor couple · Zurich
- Mandate duration
- 36 months (ongoing)
- Capital deployed
- €4,780,000
- Locations
- Downtown Dubai · Dubai Hills Estate · Emirates Hills
Strategy
The clients — a couple in their early sixties with two adult children and three grandchildren — wanted to build an allocation that could carry several generations. The brief was broader than a classic yield mandate: cashflow units for running income, a family villa for three-generation use, an apartment for the daughter, an apartment for the son, a DIFC foundation as the holding structure. Working alongside Swiss tax counsel and a Dubai law firm we set up a UAE foundation pooling all assets — with explicit distribution rules and a letter-of-wishes construct for succession.
Ledger
Key metrics
- Capital deployed
- AED 18.9M≈ €4.78M
- Properties acquired
- 7across 3 micro-locations
- Portfolio net yield
- 6.4 %weighted, on cashflow tranche
- Capital appreciation since start
- +28 %aggregated book value
Chronology
Mandate timeline
Month 1
Zurich workshop and structure definition
Two-day workshop in Zurich with the clients, their Swiss tax advisors and our Dubai legal partner. Structural objectives agreed: foundation vehicle, cashflow tranche, heritage tranche, clear separation between the three family branches.
Month 3
UAE foundation incorporated
A DIFC foundation set up as holding structure. Council comprises the client couple plus an independent Swiss trustee, letter of wishes formalised, distribution policy documented.
Month 6
First cashflow triple — Downtown
Three apartments across two established Downtown towers (two 2BR, one 3BR) transferred to the foundation. Aggregate investment AED 8.9M, weighted gross yield 7.1 %, leased into the live market.
Month 12
Family villa — Dubai Hills
Acquisition of a 6BR family villa in Dubai Hills Estate (AED 7.8M). Used by the wider family during winter; in the remaining months let through an established property-management platform for one-to-two-month premium tenancies.
Month 18
Daughter unit and son unit
Two 1BR apartments in a premium Dubai Hills tower at AED 1.1M each — formally held by the foundation, with effective right of use assigned to both adult children and named in the letter of wishes for succession.
Month 24
Emirates Hills villa as heritage asset
A 7BR villa in Emirates Hills (AED 12.5M) as a long-term heritage asset — no cashflow target, but trophy status and store of value. Two-year search because Emirates Hills is highly illiquid with only four to five suitable properties coming to market each year.
Month 30
Full quarterly-reporting architecture
First full foundation quarterly report at Swiss-standard depth: cashflow, occupancy, capex pipeline, valuation progression, tax-sync with the Swiss trustee.
Month 36
Retainer renewed for a further 3 years
The engagement extends into a standing portfolio + acquisition retainer for a further three years. Scope: ongoing management, capex steering, foundation secretariat, and a planned second tranche of AED 8-10M for 2027.
Outcome
Outcome
After 36 months the allocation comprises seven properties, weighted between a cashflow tranche (three Downtown apartments at 6.4 % net yield) and a heritage tranche (Dubai Hills villa, Emirates Hills villa, two children units). Aggregate book value has risen 28 % since inception, the foundation runs cleanly, and the succession path is fully documented. The mandate has converted into a multi-year retainer in 2026 — we run the foundation operationally and are pre-scoping a second acquisition tranche for 2027.
Lessons
What we learned
On a multi-generational mandate the structural work (foundation, letter of wishes, Swiss sync) is worth doing in the first quarter — it saves years of corrections later on.
Emirates Hills is only accessible through patience; setting a hard deadline gets you the available property, not the right one.
Reporting at Swiss family-office depth builds the trust that turns an acquisition mandate into a multi-year retainer.
Client voice
Client voice
“What we were really looking for was not an advisor for seven purchases — but someone who would still understand our family structure ten years from now. Heinzmann read that correctly from day one.”
Investor couple, Zurich (represented by their Swiss trustee)
Keep reading
More mandates
- Family Office · Munich
Five apartments, two districts, one Dubai allocation.
Portfolio mandate: five resale units across Marina and Business Bay, 8.2 % net yield, 14-month build-out.
Open mandate - Tech entrepreneur · Hamburg
One Palm Jumeirah off-plan, one Golden Visa, one 32 % partial exit.
Palm Jumeirah off-plan: AED 4.8M, 18-month build, Golden Visa issued, 32 % gross capital appreciation to handover — partial exit realised.
Open mandate
Closing
Eight years. Twelve mandates. One call.
An initial conversation in German or English — personal, confidential, no sales pressure. Usually within 48 hours.
- Phone
- +971 4 123 4567
- +971 50 123 4567
- Office
- DIFC · Gate Village · Dubai