Businesses prioritising modern, well-located spaces as flexible work trends reshape office requirements
Enquiries for office space in the UK have reached their highest level since before the pandemic, according to new data from property platform Rightmove, with businesses increasingly seeking workplaces that better align with changing employee expectations and hybrid working models.
Rightmove’s latest Commercial Insights Tracker indicates that demand for leasing office space is up 19% year-on-year. The increase coincides with ongoing corporate discussions around optimal in-office attendance and work arrangements.
The tracker draws from a broad set of engagement data to assess interest across the UK’s commercial property sector. It defines demand as the number of unique enquiries sent to agents about leasing or investing in listed properties.
Insights gathered from a Rightmove panel survey of over 350 office workers suggest key workplace features could encourage more frequent office attendance. Top considerations included shorter commutes (51%), food perks (39%), flexible hours (34%), and upgraded facilities (29%). Commuting challenges (61%), inconsistent temperatures (27%), and inadequate amenities (24%) were cited as the main drawbacks of office life. Proximity to efficient transport links, particularly the Elizabeth Line, has also emerged as a major factor for employers selecting office locations.
“Modern, well-positioned office space with great amenities and service is being used as an added incentive to attract top talent, to encourage them into city centres more, and is seeing strong demand,” said Andy Miles (pictured), managing director of commercial real estate at Rightmove. “Older, energy-inefficient and less comfortable office spaces are struggling to meet expectations from office workers.”
On the investment front, interest in commercial properties is also on the rise, buoyed by improving conditions in the interest rate environment. Rightmove noted a 19% quarter-on-quarter increase in demand from potential investors.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has echoed the uptick, pointing to modest gains in certain property segments. Its latest report highlights a 9% rise in industrial demand and a 6% lift in office space demand.
Notably, interest in investing in office properties has surpassed that of industrial real estate for the first time in several quarters. Rightmove recorded a 75% increase in office investment demand compared to the same period in 2024, while industrial investment demand rose 70%.
Leisure and hospitality properties are also drawing attention, with leasing enquiries up 37% year-on-year. Similarly, industrial leasing demand has risen by 37%, supported by sustained growth in e-commerce and warehouse needs.
“The commercial property sector continues to adapt to ensure many business sectors evolve to keep pace with ever-progressing trends and shifts in demand,” commented Michael Sears, advisory panel member of Propertymark’s NAEA Commercial Committee. “As many towns and cities embark on substantial regeneration projects, there is huge potential in the medium and long term in delivering prolonged growth across many commercial channels and we are seeing a substantial keenness from investors.
“In the office supply sector, 43% of our commercial member agents forecast an increase in supply and continue to report that the current resurgence comes from the lets we are completing; the increasing number of enquiries and the ever-growing requirement lists from brand surveyors and agents both in-house and not.”
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