India witnessed a robust demand for office spaces in Q3 2018, recording approximately 12.3 million sq ft of gross absorption, indicating a 23% growth over the corresponding period last year. As a result of rising demand coupled with lowering vacancies in premium Grade A buildings, the office rental values have recorded an increase in select micro markets across cities.
With about 10 million sq ft (0.9 million sq m) of office leasing in Q3, gross absorption totalled around 28.9 million sq ft (2.7 million sq m) over the first nine months.
A high rental growth was seen mostly in South cities like Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad where y-o-y change ranged between 8-17% at some locations. In H1 2017, Bengaluru and Hyderabad both witnessed single digit vacancy levels hovering between 8-9% due to a dearth of quality Grade A stock, thus leading to increased rental values in some micro markets.
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The IT/ITeS sector has clearly been driving corporate real estate in the country; and consequently, much of the development in this space is being propelled by IT and back-office demand for workspaces, as per CBRE’s India report – Real Estate & Workplace Strategies of Shared Services Occupiers.
In the evaluation of sustainability of a housing market, the absorption of office space is the prime indicator across the world. After all, it is the economic activity and the job magnet that fuels the demand for new houses. The city of Mumbai has always been blessed on that count due to demand and supply dynamics.