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SPECIAL REPORT: VOL. 23. NUMBER 09
way to find the The easiest your needs. best office for 5/6/15 4:58 PM
k quality office stoc Limited supply of class ‘A’ The shortage of limited offices and the new development of getting space means it’s a good harder to lease office in this town. GARY MORRELL
from office market suffersquality The Budapest of well−located a limited supply growing demand as product to meet Hungary is showing sentiment towards This lack of available to signs of improvement. is a major obstacle class “A” product office market. However, the are development of that pipeline projects are it is positive for projects that million Metro 4 line. attracting preleasesof a quality comparable to around three at the end of the This compares well specified and in the view Budapest One Business Park, a city and country Western Europe of space in Prague, and 4.4 million are to that found in size, of new sqm New office projects of a comparative the dominant business of many analysts. sustainability demand and the lack Warsaw, now accredited to international BREEAM. is falling due to continuing centers is driving the market for as LEED and center for CEE. now the “Vacancy standards such accreditation is for shared service labor.” Further, green developments office delivery. Demand low costs of skilled norm for high qualityof developers, tenants and the relatively Vacancy drops has fallen from the perspective due to the location office vacancy above and investors. where vacancy that Budapest vacancy rate is 15% in a market Greens, commented “Although the large modern high. This is the of agents for Váci advanced negotiations towards Wing have traditionally been “The South Buda in 15%, the availability prelease has HB Reavis and development it is involved space is decreasing; rate since 2009. A 6,500 sqm contiguous office projects can offer more Atenor, lead the way speculative C with lowest for both phases. of continues to space,” undertaken often based on a significant has been signed for Building only a handful break submarketof having the lowest vacancy of modern office been Atenor will soon terms at circa in than 3,000 sqm head of office agency at strategies, of preleases in what has D, Healthcare. standing now recent GE 15,500 sqm Building wide due proportion rate in the city, said Balázs Simay, environment in ground on the to the Budapest at the end of Limited development high a difficult economic developers have to be delivered 10%, compared 15.7%. This figure is DTZ Hungary. Significantly, these or meet strict which is due political concerns, rate of of 2017. The 16,000 to economic and difficulty of sourcing years. to build that the Budapest 2016 or beginningwas completed at the vacancy required equity impressive given been below 10%,” A from banks. vacancy and the restricted the supply of the months more sqm Building LTD equity requirements rate has never was fully let six debt finance has in recent years. end of 2013 and This gave Atenor the vacancy is Johnston. new office developmentsvacancy rates and after completion. ahead with further added argue that this down go Many analysts Not much in the pipeline This has brought of real vacancy complex, confidence to rentals. Only established the year is limited to speculative phases of the what was not a true reflectionshould be further put pressure on and those with in pipeline for this C) stock own resources, and recorded number of European developers have been able to Delivery sqm second phase (Building financed by its funds as there are a the 18,200 phase (Building a challenging market. ability to source buildings from Research rationalized, where debt finance and the 23,000 sqm third the Budapest and outdated first generation out of the the Belgium Atenor develop in a market According to difficult to source low. B) of Váci Greens by CBRE, Colliers the 1990s that should be taken variation Architect TIBA are by (comprising is expensive and Eston Forum there is a wide DTZ, ment (LTD) ratios Group and designed C&W, sub− be delivered in International, equation. Further, loan−to−develop owners are upgrading Building C will The between the different JLL and Robertson In addition building portfolios to meet Studio. B in November. stock in vacancy example the lowest rate is 10% their July, and Building will be the 6,000 sqm International,total modern office districts. For út corridor older assets in to Hungary), of modern class in South Buda while the Váci regard to other delivery sqm only pre−let demand. 100% growing With consists of 2,588,000 space, in addition office development Erzsébet office center, higher rate at 18.7%. speculative The Budapest space. has a low with a resulting at “A” and “B” owner−occupied pipeline remains of well located, large Groupama. head of office agency 642,000 sqm of David Johnston, the letting to limited availability Developers such as & Wakefield (C&W), Cushman floorplates. “A” class Horizon Development, Skanska, Futureal,
OFFICES & OTHER PROPERTIES MAY 08, 2015 – MAY 21, 2015
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HUNGARY’S PRACTICAL BUSINESS BI-WEEKLY SINCE 1992 | WWW.BBJ.HU
Chamber for change AmCham CEO Írisz Lippai−Nagy, left, and president Ferenc Pongrácz heed their membership’s call for greater advocacy to improve Hungary’s business climate. 8
NEWS
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIAL REPORT
Templeton dumps debt; analyst doesn’t fret, yet
Office market tight as demand heats up
Flat-out rush for flats in bustling Budapest
The U.S. asset manager that holds more Hungarian debt than anyone has slowly been pulling out of this country, but a market expert said it is too early to say if there is a serious problem. 3
There is a strong desire for limited topquality space in Budapest, as well as a lack of delivery. The result is a low vacancy rate, and the supply of development in the pipeline is unlikely to change that anytime soon. 10
A confluence of factors conspired to make renting popular and residential leases difficult to come by in the capital. Analysts say it will be a while before the market reaches rational equilibrium. 16