Record demand and a decade-low level of new construction have fundamentally shifted the balance of power in Warsaw's office market. In the second quarter of 2026, leasing volume exceeded 280,000 sqm, one of the strongest quarterly results on record, while net take-up surpassed 134,000 sqm. The previous quarter had already set an all-time high, with 310,000 sqm of lease agreements signed between October and December 2025. Against this backdrop, just over 140,000 sqm of office space is currently under construction in Warsaw, the lowest pipeline in more than a decade, and Walter Herz estimates that fewer than 30,000 sqm of new space will be delivered by the end of 2026.

More than 100,000 sqm of office space was leased in Bucharest in the first half of 2026, slightly below the level recorded in the same period of 2025, according to a mid-year market update from Colliers. Asking rents for existing office space in the Central Business District and other central areas rose by nearly 12% year-on-year to €18 per sqm per month, up from €16. Across the market as a whole, average rents increased by around 3%, while new projects under development are quoting rents 10–15% above levels typically seen in their respective submarkets.

Bucharest's office market recorded net take-up of 73% of total leasing activity in the first half of 2026, up from 53% in the same period of 2025, according to the Cushman & Wakefield Echinox Marketbeat Office Q2 2026 report. Total take-up reached 109,500 sqm in H1, of which 60,400 sqm were transacted in Q2 alone, although overall leasing volume remained approximately 10% below H1 2025 levels. The vacancy rate fell to 11.6% in Q2, its lowest point since Q3 2020, driven primarily by stronger demand from IT&C sector occupiers.

The supply of modern office space in Prague remains constrained, with the vacancy rate standing at 5.8% at the end of the second quarter of 2026, the lowest level since 2020. Total modern office stock reached approximately 3.95 million sqm, yet only one project was completed during the quarter: the renovation of the Danube House building in Prague's Karlín district. The building, developed by CA Immo to Class A standard and seeking LEED Platinum certification, was fully occupied before completion, with Everpure and Allegro among its tenants.

The Regional Research Forum, whose members include CBRE, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, iO Partners, Knight Frank and Savills, has published its H1 2026 data for the Brno and Ostrava office markets. In Brno, the only completion during the period was Svatopetrská D (1,750 sqm) in Q1, while construction began on BRIXX Brno (1,400 sqm) in Q2. Total modern office stock in Brno reached 717,450 sqm by the end of June, with Class A properties accounting for 73% of that figure. Nine schemes totalling 87,570 sqm were under construction, the largest being Dornych (27,600 sqm), Ponávka A4 (12,310 sqm) and Nová Zbrojovka D4 (10,460 sqm).

Warsaw's office market gained momentum in the first half of 2026, with total take-up reaching 420,000 sqm, a 38% year-on-year increase, according to AXI IMMO's report "Office Market in Warsaw H1 2026". Net take-up amounted to 220,000 sqm, with the second quarter seeing a surge in large transactions that nearly doubled leasing volumes compared with the same period a year earlier. The most active occupiers came from the business services, financial services and IT sectors. Notable deals included Frontex's renewal of 21,500 sqm at Warsaw Spire B, Visa Europe's new lease of 17,300 sqm at The Bridge, and Poczta Polska's renewal of 17,000 sqm at Domaniewska Office Hub.

Commercial real estate investment across six Central and Eastern European markets reached €5.8 billion in the first half of 2026, according to Colliers, with the Czech Republic accounting for roughly a quarter of that total at over €1.4 billion. Although this represents a nominal decline from the record €2.2 billion recorded in the same period last year, analysts at Colliers view the result as a stabilisation following an period of exceptional activity.

Colliers has introduced Reworks, a digital platform that uses artificial intelligence to help companies optimise office space utilisation. The tool addresses declining office occupancy, rising operating costs and post-pandemic shifts in workplace patterns, and is positioned as a faster and more cost-effective alternative to traditional workplace consultancy methods.

A survey by Genesis Property finds that job security in Romania is increasingly tied to adaptability rather than employment stability alone. More than 60% of employees say their current role provides stability without sufficient development opportunities, or leaves them feeling stuck, while only 14% feel fully secure and confident about their career prospects. Half describe themselves as relatively secure but watching their company and market closely. The survey was conducted online in July among 1,026 internet users across Romania.

WING has completed the acquisition of the Olympia project from Atenor, adding a property complex of approximately 74,000 sqm to its portfolio on Hungária Boulevard in Budapest. The site comprises an operating office building, a structurally complete building, and additional development plots. WING is preparing to reposition the site for mixed-use purposes, with plans that could include more than 500 apartments alongside existing office space and retail and service functions.