Administrative costs for modern office buildings in Romania are set to rise by approximately 10% in 2026 compared to last year, according to Colliers. The increases stem from higher property taxes, inflation and rising wages, with utility costs excluded as these are typically billed separately.
Colliers, which manages over 650,000 sqm of modern office space, notes that costs are already 40-50% higher than pre-pandemic levels. "If we look at developments in recent years, the biggest impact on costs has come from taxes, which have generated over a third of the increases and continue to rise significantly in 2026," explains Mihai Iustin, Operational & Technical Manager at Colliers. This is linked to higher construction costs, leading to an average 30% increase in buildings' taxable value following revaluation.
Wages represent another major pressure point, with a further 7% increase expected from mid-2026. Since 2019, Romania's gross minimum wage has doubled, directly impacting labour-intensive services. Technical maintenance, security and cleaning costs are now 35-75% higher than in 2022.
Taxes account for nearly 38% of total service charges, followed by technical maintenance at 22% and security services at 14%. Even waste management costs, representing just 2% of the total, have doubled due to employees returning to offices and new European recycling requirements.
Regionally, Romania maintains competitive positioning with service charges approximately 10% below Hungary and 20% lower than Poland, primarily due to lower wage levels.
