Hungarian construction company Kesz Group has expanded in the Romanian residential segment and will start its first housing project in northern Bucharest. Following this move, the group will act as a construction and developer player on the local market.

Existing office buildings will be increasingly sought after by companies due to a lacklustre development pipeline in Bucharest, which will continue to drive contract extension deals in Bucharest.

New office lease and renegotiation agreements were signed for 158,923 sqm during Q3 2023, up 36% compared to the previous quarter on the Bucharest market, according to data from Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance.

Romanian Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance, is expanding into the residential category, with sales & marketing services. 

Costin Nistor, Managing Director of Fortim Trusted Advisors, spoke to Property Forum about the real estate agency’s plans for 2023, the outlook for the regional real estate market and the growing role of the ESG agenda for the office and soon the residential sector.

Office leasing in Bucharest totaled 128,915 sqm in the second quarter of 2023, up 48% compared to the same period of last year, driven by large deals closed by retail, financial and technology firms, according to a report by Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance. 

Bucharest accounted for 75% of the total office space that was leased across major Romanian cities in Q1 2023 according to a study by Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance. 

Transactions of new office rental, relocation and pre-rental in Romania’s regional cities reached 70,393 sqm during 2022, which was 22% more than in 2021. Almost 90% of the lease deals were closed in cities that are university centres such as Iași, Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara,  according to a report by Fortim Trusted Advisors.

Demand for new offices in Bucharest rose by 13% in 2022 compared to the previous year, with 332,922 sqm of spaces leased in the city during the past year, according to real estate consultancy Fortim Trusted Advisors. 

America House has become the first-Class A office building in Bucharest to obtain an Outstanding rating according to the BREEAM In-Use certification methodology, after a major investment of €10 million. The certification process was managed by BuildGreen.