uk commercial property rises at highest rate since records began
News Posted On: 11 January 2010
As both the UK and the US bathed in similar Arctic weather two reports released on Friday illuminated the state of their respective commercial real estate sectors. According to the latest CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) Monthly Index, UK commercial property posted its largest monthly gain since records began nine years ago.
The 3.3 percent rise in December was the sixth straight gain as commercial real estate continued an unbroken rise since July 2009.
Retail warehouses led the charge, up 6.1 percent in December. The CBRE cited intense investment demand as being the reason why retail warehouse prices were up 6.5 percent since the start of the year.
Central London offices were up 3.7 percent in December, but down 2.1 percent for the year.
Rental values kept softening, falling 0.3 percent in December and 8.9 percent over the year. Central London office rents closed the year down 21.5 percent. With rental yields declining why were prices firming?
Strong demand from offshore investors, renewed flows of money into UK property funds and a limited availability of quality inventory were the reasons given by CBRE's head of UK research, Peter Damesick, who also noted there was limited availability of quality inventory.
"Increased capital flows into property look likely in the near term, giving further momentum to the market in the early part of 2010," he said in a statement.
"The sharply accelerating returns and value increases seen over the past few months inversely mirror the worst of the downturn seen this time last year."
UK commercial property values may have broken a 9 year growth record in December. However in the US other long-standing records were broken – to the downside. In 2009 U.S. office occupancy hit 15-year low in the fourth quarter, and landlords slashed annual rents by the largest amount since at least 1980 US real estate research firm Reis Inc said on Friday.
With poor rental conditions prevailing it looks like the professional investors are buying into price inflation rather than expecting income growth when they scoop up prime English commercial properties.
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