Timișoara emerged as the sole Romanian city to experience growth in the office leasing market during H1 2025, defying a national downturn, according to a report by Fortim Trusted Advisors.
Across Romania's five major office hubs—Bucharest, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Brașov—the total leased office space reached 145,360 sqm, a 29.2% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.
Bucharest, while still the largest office market, recorded the sharpest decline in demand. The city saw 111,753 sqm of office space leased, accounting for 76.8% of total transactions in the country’s main business centers.
Nicolae Ciobanu, Managing Partner, Head of Advisory at Fortim Trusted Advisors, said: "Timișoara is the only business hub where demand for office space increased in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in previous years."
He attributed the decrease in other major cities, including Bucharest, to political uncertainties and the suspension of new office building deliveries.
“However, we expect leasing activity to recover in the second half of the year, with the announced deliveries of new spaces scheduled to begin at the end of 2025 and continue through 2027,” added Ciobanu.
The largest office transaction in Romania during this period was BCR's renewal of a 22,300 sqm lease in The Bridge building in Bucharest.
In secondary cities, Vertiv Romania's extension of its 4,667 sqm lease in the Advancity Business Center in Cluj-Napoca was the most significant.
Notable new leases include Leroy Merlin occupying 4,000 sqm in Floreasca Park in Bucharest and Continental leasing 3,000 sqm in Timișoara.
The prevalence of lease renegotiations over new contracts indicates a market trend of companies consolidating their presence in existing locations.
