A comprehensive outlook on the European property investment landscape as well as the current challenges and opportunities the valuation profession faces were discussed at the latest online event organised by Property Forum and RICS. We summarised the key messages of our two keynote speakers.

Romanian proptech start-up Bright Spaces, which develops a complete digital platform for showcasing and offering for office buildings and spaces, has been selected to join proptech accelerator Pi Labs in the United Kingdom. Pi Labs is the first venture capital firm in Europe to invest exclusively in proptech start-ups and Europe's most active investor in the field. Bright Spaces was chosen, along with 4 other European start-ups, out of a total of over 600 registered teams. The Romanian startup will enter a 15-week intensive program, with the objective of developing the product and scaling the company to the size and needs of the European office market.

The National Federation of Hungarian Building Contractors (ÉVOSZ) expects orders that were never placed in the last two months will be arriving in mid-June. 

CPI Property Group published an update on the Group’s efforts to flatten debt maturities, reduce gross leverage and fortify operating position.

Immofinanz expects a substantial improvement in rental income and the results of operations for the first quarter of 2020. The estimated increases range from 13.0% to 15.0% versus Q1 2019.

Reopening the office requires rethinking the daily experience and setting clear protocols for how everything in the office operates while managing the health and safety risks of our employees. How the returning to work is managed will be critical for employee health and well-being but also for the confidence in their employer and landlord, according to the latest data from CBRE.

As the first coronavirus cases were registered in Hungary at the beginning of March, the effect of the epidemic on first-quarter figures might have been smaller. The epidemic may affect the construction industry in two ways. Projects that have already started may stop or may continue at a slower pace and it may hold back the value of projects entering construction phase.  Results show that there was a massive decline in the value of completed projects already in Q1 2020. The value of the Activity Completion Indicator of the EBI Construction Activity Report in the domestic construction industry decreased by 29% due to the epidemic, and several hundred projects were delayed.

Property Forum’s next virtual event, CEE Valuation & Investment Forum 2020, will cover the most burning topics of property investment and valuation. Leading international experts will share their own experiences and best practices related to managing the unprecedented market situation that COVID-19 has created.

Since the first COVID-19 cases in Poland were diagnosed, analyses and reflections on the impact of the pandemic on the real estate industry have been conducted. One of the most interesting issues is the situation on the office market, especially if we take into account the changing needs of companies and their employees. Property managers and owners try to be constantly updated to meet the expectations of tenants and support their business. Marta Wiewiórowska-Kudła, Leasing Manager at Hines Polska summarised how this market has developed recently and what may change in the future.

The current state of the Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian property markets was the topic of our latest online panel. The adaption of new technologies, especially in the retail and hotel sectors, is crucial to handle the shock of the coronavirus lockdowns. Five experts, with the moderation Mia Zecevic, CEO of the Novaston Real Estate Platform, shared their knowledge on the implications of the current crisis in the Balkans region.