Commercial Property Market Shows Signs of Recovery as Vacancy Rates Decline for First Time Since 2020

The UK commerfcial property market has reached a pivotal moment as vacancy rates decrease for the first time since the pandemic began, signalling a potential revival in the commercial property sector. Data from CoStar reveals that office vacancy rates have dropped to 8.6% at March’s end, down from 8.7% at the beginning of 2025.

The significant shift comes after a prolonged period of declining occupancy, during which businesses reduced their office footprint by an astounding 41 million square feet – equivalent to 82 Gherkin buildings. Corporate tenants have shown renewed interest in office space, with a net uptake of 1 million square feet in the first quarter of 2025.

Major cities including London, Manchester, Sheffield, and Cambridge have experienced decreasing vacancy rates, with approximately half of the UK’s significant urban centres reporting improvements. Mark Stansfield, CoStar’s senior director of UK analytics, suggests that most companies have completed their office space optimisation strategies.

Leading organisations are actively expanding their office presence. HSBC is seeking additional space near its St Paul’s Cathedral headquarters, while Linklaters has opted to occupy all available floors in its new London base. Similar moves have been observed from BP and Virgin Media, reflecting a growing trend of spatial requirements.

The market is witnessing a distinct “flight to quality” pattern, with businesses favouring modern, environmentally conscious buildings. While 57 million square feet of secondary office space was vacated between 2020 and 2024, prime properties experienced a net increase in occupancy of 16 million square feet.

Office utilisation rates have reached their highest levels since pre-pandemic times, though the current 38% average daily occupancy remains below the previous 60% benchmark. The completion of several new developments in 2025 may temporarily influence vacancy rates, but the overall trend suggests a stabilising market.