Despite Brexit, London's skyscrapers are still commanding the highest rents

Office rents in London’s skyscrapers are said to be the highest in Europe as companies are continuing to pay a premium for space in the city’s tallest buildings, according to a report by Knight Frank.

The report has examined the rental performance of commercial buildings over 30 storeys, showing that prime rents in London’s skyscrapers remained at US $110 per sq ft in the first half of 2017, approximately double the rents of tall buildings in Paris ($58 per sq ft).

London is the only European city to make the global top 10 in the ranking. Hong Kong’s skyscrapers have continued to command, too, by some margin, being the highest rents in the world at $304 per sq ft.

James Roberts, chief economist at Knight Frank, said: “That London still commands the highest skyscraper office rents in Europe, despite the Brexit uncertainty, is a statement of its resilience and popularity as a business location.

“Firms are willing to pay more to be in London skyscrapers than those in [areas like] Frankfurt because they view the UK capital as a more important international hub.

“However, since last year London has slipped from fourth to fifth place in this ranking, and if we keep seeing populist policies which make doing business in the UK more difficult, it is not impossible for London to slide further down the table.”

William Beardmore-Gray, global head of Knight Frank’s Occupier Services and Commercial Agency, concluded: “Firms pay to be in skyscrapers for the wow factor, but it is no coincidence that the top five places in this ranking happen to be world’s leading business centres.

“There are cities with far more famous and much taller skyscrapers than London or Hong Kong, that rank lower in the table.

“These figures are a wake-up call and show that demand for space, and rents, in London’s prestigious towers will only hold up if the city continues to be seen as a top five centre of international commerce.”

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