Third Costliest In Office Rental

Source : The Straits Times, March 18, 2009

OFFICE rents here fell by 22 per cent last year, but Singapore is still the Asia-Pacific's third costliest city for business tenants, according to Colliers International's latest review. Hong Kong and Tokyo were No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.

The global office real estate review tracked office costs in 172 cities worldwide for the first and second halves of last year. It found that Singapore's office occupancy costs, defined as the annual average gross rents of central business district Grade A office space, fell from US$125.06 psf (S$191.17) in the first half of last year to US$97.07 psf in the second half.

Across the Asia-Pacific, 16 other cities also registered declining rents. Nine of the 20 cities surveyed saw rents plummet more than 20 per cent during the year. Beijing and Taipei were the only two cities in which rents rose.

Despite remaining third costliest in the region, Singapore's office occupancy costs were 45 per cent cheaper than those of Hong Kong's at the end of last year, up from last June's 41 per cent, and 24 per cent cheaper than Tokyo's as compared to just 3 per cent last June, said Ms Tay Huey Ying, director of research and advisory at Colliers International.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.