Occupier demand for commercial property is now at its highest point since 1998, according to the latest RICS Commercial Market Survey.
Q1 2015 saw the 10th consecutive quarterly acceleration of commercial demand, with 46% more respondents reporting greater interest.
The survey also uncovered a significant increase in investment as 49% more surveyors encountered a rising number of prospective investors. This increase is a continuation of the trend of rising demand that began towards the end of 2012.
Overseas buyer interest also picked up on the previous quarter, with 34% more respondents seeing more enquiries from overseas investors, compared with 17% in the previous quarter.
Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at RICS, said: “The strength of the latest commercial property survey suggests that the underlying momentum of the economy will continue to accelerate through the course of this year.
“What is particularly encouraging is that a better tone to the results is visible in all parts of the country and increasingly in secondary as well as prime space.”
