2026 Real Estate Outlook: Expect Rising Rents and a Flight to Quality Optimism is returning to global real estate markets.
*Heading into 2026, 69% of global experts expect rents to rise due to increased demand across all major property sectors, with the notable exception of Grade B offices.
- Prime Offices: Positive momentum is set to continue, with 89% of survey respondents forecasting rising prime rents. Demand is heavily driven by the rapidly expanding AI sector in major tech hubs (like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle), as well as stable leasing activity from the legal, financial, and life sciences sectors. Companies are maintaining their strategy of consolidating into fewer, but higher-quality, spaces.
- Retail Resilience: Physical retail is proving surprisingly resilient. Two-thirds of respondents anticipate rental growth, driven by prestigious brands flocking to prime high streets and exploring new formats that blend retail, leisure, and food to create “experiential” retail.
- Industrial & Logistics: Occupier strategies continue to be shaped by e-commerce expansion and the need to build resilience and flexibility into supply chains12. Letting activity is expected to outperform rental growth, with 79% of experts predicting increased take-up in their respective markets.
*Source: 2026 global occupier outlook: increased demand to drive higher rents | Savills Impacts”, published by World Research – Savills December 2025