Filtered by Subscriptions: UK Commercial Property Use setting UK Commercial Property
Construction activity improves as tariff uncertainty falls back The headline CIPS construction PMI rose for the third consecutive month in May, although the rise from 46.6 to 47.9 still suggests that construction activity is contracting. Within the …
5th June 2025
Increased uncertainty weighs on commercial construction The headline CIPS construction PMI edged up to 46.6 in April, from 46.4 in March. That left the balance below 50 and consistent with a contracting construction sector. A small rise in the housing and …
7th May 2025
Net lending to property falls back Net lending to property weakened to a one year low in March, with total lending of £514m down from £1.59bn in February. The drop was driven by lending to standing investments, which fell to £530m from £1.49bn. Debt …
1st May 2025
Rising interest rates and costs weigh on construction activity The headline CIPS construction PMI saw a small rise in March to 46.4, from 44.6 in February. But that still left the balance below 50 and consistent with a contracting construction sector. …
4th April 2025
Net lending to property rises to close to a 5-year high Net lending to property continued its recent run of strength in February, with total lending of £1.58bn up from £917m in January and the highest monthly figure since May 2020. As usual the rise was …
31st March 2025
Higher costs drive construction activity to post-pandemic low The headline CIPS construction PMI dropped to 44.6 in February, from 48.1 in January, which was the lowest reading since May 2020. Part of the decline was due to a sharp fall in the volatile …
6th March 2025
Net lending to property has a steady start to the year Net lending to property had a steady start to 2025, with the total of £917mn in January down from £1.28bn in December 2024, but close to the average seen over 2024. The rise in net lending was …
3rd March 2025
The decision by the US and Russia to “lay the groundwork” to end the war in Ukraine marks a potentially significant turning point after three years of conflict. Negotiations will take time and the macroeconomic implications will depend on the features of …
18th February 2025
With return-to-office policies again hitting the headlines in the last week we are highlighting our recent notes on the outlook for remote work across the markets we forecast. In the first two of those, we pushed back against the idea that in the next few …
17th February 2025
Rise in interest rates puts a dampener on construction activity The headline CIPS construction PMI dropped to 48.1 in January, from 53.3 in December, indicating the first contraction in activity since February 2024. The decline in the headline balance …
6th February 2025
Net lending to property records strongest year since 2008 Net lending to property had a strong end to 2024, with the total of £1.28bn in December the highest since September. At £11.5bn for the year, commercial property net lending had its strongest year …
30th January 2025
Construction activity continues to expand despite drag from housing The headline CIPS construction PMI eased to a six-month low of 53.3 in December, from 55.2 in November, although that indicates construction activity is still expanding. The decline in …
7th January 2025
Jump in commercial activity supports a rise in the headline balance The headline CIPS construction PMI increased to 55.2 in November, from 54.3 in October, indicating an expansion of construction activity. The rise was entirely driven by the commercial …
5th December 2024
Net lending to property on a firm upward trend Net lending to property totalled £1.16bn in October, marking the third consecutive month of net lending exceeding £1bn. Indeed, at £3.93bn in the three months to October, lending was at its highest since May …
29th November 2024
Contraction in housing activity drags headline construction PMI down After a strong September the headline CIPS construction PMI dropped back to 54.3 in October, although that still points to an expansion of construction activity. A rebound in long-term …
6th November 2024
Net lending to property sees another decent rise Net lending to property totalled £1.33bn in September, essentially unchanged from the previous month. Lending to standing assets was responsible for all of that total, with net lending to development seeing …
29th October 2024
Construction activity rebounds to 2½ year high The headline CIPS construction PMI rebounded to a 2½ year high of 57.2 in September as the prospect of lower interest rates, rising capital values and a government committed to boosting home construction …
4th October 2024
Net lending to property sees further increase as investment recovers Net lending to property reached £1.26bn in August, up from £520m the previous month. While lending to standing assets was responsible for the lion’s share of the increase, lending for …
30th September 2024
Construction activity continues to expand The headline CIPS construction PMI edged back in August, but at 53.6 it remained in expansionary territory for the sixth consecutive month. Moreover, the decline was driven by the volatile civil engineering …
5th September 2024
Net lending continues to recover gradually Net lending to commercial property was positive for the fourth consecutive month in July, albeit by a smaller £520mn. With development lending still negative, this was driven entirely by a rise in lending …
30th August 2024
Construction activity rebounds, helped by housing The headline CIPS construction PMI rebounded in July, more than reversing the small fall in June to reach 55.3, the highest reading since May 2022. That rise was driven by the housing component, with the …
6th August 2024
Net lending to property picks up as outlook stabilises Net lending to property increased for the third month in a row in June, and the rise of £1.31bn was the largest since the end of 2021. In line with last month the gain was entirely due to a rise in …
29th July 2024
The headline CIPS construction PMI edged back in June from its two-year high last month, but at 52.2 remains in expansionary territory. Both the commercial and housing balances retreated, with the latter falling back below 50, indicating some contraction …
4th July 2024
Net lending to property shows early signs of a recovery Net lending to property increased for the second consecutive month in May, rising by £1.0bn. The increase was entirely due to a rise in lending to standing investments, with development lending …
1st July 2024
Construction activity picks up in both housing and commercial sectors The headline CIPS construction PMI rose to a two-year high of 54.7 in May. Both the commercial and housing balances improved, with the latter rising above 50 for the first time since …
6th June 2024
Net lending subdued on the back of rising interest rates Following two consecutive quarters of declines, net lending to property reached £891m in April. The increase was driven by a £731m rise in lending to standing investments, but development lending …
31st May 2024
Commercial activity rebounds, but housing still subdued The headline CIPS construction PMI rose for the fifth consecutive month to 53.0 in April, a 14-month high. The rise was driven by improvements to the commercial and civil engineering components, …
7th May 2024
Net lending has a weak start to the year Following a dip in February, net lending to commercial property ticked up in March, but the rise of £259m was modest and entirely due to lending to standing property. Looking through the monthly volatility net …
30th April 2024
Construction PMIs edge closer to expansionary territory The headline CIPS construction PMI rose to 50.2 in February, the first time it has risen above the no change level since August last year. The rise was driven by small improvements across the …
5th April 2024
Net lending declines for first time in a year Net lending to commercial property edged back for the first time in a year in February, with declines in both standing and development lending. But the falls were marginal and on a three month average basis …
2nd April 2024
Construction PMIs edge closer to expansionary territory The headline CIPS construction PMI rose to 49.7 in February, just under the no change level. The rise was driven by the housing component, with commercial activity edging back a touch. As interest …
6th March 2024
Net lending increases in January but new development still subdued Net lending to commercial property increased for the eleventh consecutive month in January. Over H1 2024, we expect investment and lending to new development to slowly recover, as capital …
29th February 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMIs start 2024 in contractionary territory The rise in the headline CIPS construction PMI from 46.8 in December to 48.8 in January was driven by improvements in …
6th February 2024
Resilient lending in December, but anaemic investment volumes Net lending to commercial property increased for the tenth consecutive month in December, but investment sentiment remained downbeat. Looking ahead, we expect investment to slowly recover over …
30th January 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMIs still subdued in December The rise in the headline CIPS construction PMI from 45.5 in November to 46.8 in December was driven by the increase in the housing …
5th January 2024
Strong November lending, but subdued investment volumes Net lending to commercial property increased for the ninth consecutive month in November, but that wasn’t reflected in investment volumes which dropped further. But throughout H1 2024 we expect …
4th January 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMIs once again below 50 in November The headline CIPS construction PMI barely changed in November, settling at 45.5 from 45.6 in October, and was still below the 50 …
6th December 2023
Strong October lending, but anaemic investment volumes While net lending to commercial property increased for the eighth consecutive month in October, this hasn’t translated into higher investment volumes – which fell back again in October. But further …
29th November 2023
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Housing suffers but commercial surprisingly resilient The uptick in the headline CIPS construction PMI from 45.0 in September to 45.6 in October still left it below the 50 …
6th November 2023
Net lending to property totaled £132mn in September, the lowest amount since February. But looking through the monthly volatility, on a 3-month basis lending has totaled more than £1.5bn in every month since March. That compares to an average of £620m …
30th October 2023
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMI falls below 50 as commercial balance plunges The decline in the headline CIPS construction PMI from 50.8 in August to 45.0 in September took it below the 50 …
5th October 2023
While net lending to commercial property increased for the sixth consecutive month in August, we think this resilience will wane as high interest rates and slower economic activity take a toll on investment over the remainder of the year. Net lending to …
29th September 2023
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMIs weaken as new orders fall back The fall in the headline CIPS construction PMI from 51.7 in July to 50.8 in August left it just above the 50 “no-change” mark. …
6th September 2023
Net lending to commercial property was positive for the fifth consecutive month in July although, at £297m, the increase was the smallest since lending contracted in February. Both standing and development lending fell back, with the latter contracting by …
30th August 2023
The headline CIPS construction PMI resumed its upward trend in July, with the rise to 51.7 more than reversing the drop into contractionary territory in June. All sectors saw an increase in their respective balances, with commercial rising to 54.4, its …
4th August 2023
Net lending to commercial property was once again positive in June at £589m. As was the case in May, lending to standing property drove the total, as development net lending recorded a small drop of £11m. The continued growth in lending to property …
31st July 2023
Surveyors become more pessimistic about commercial outlook Following a slight improvement in Q1, surveyors reported that occupier demand fell back in Q2. All sectors saw a retrenchment, with offices seeing the largest decline to a net balance of -21%. …
27th July 2023
Construction slows as interest rates stay higher for longer and recession looms After two months of gains the headline CIPS construction PMI reversed course in May, dropping to a five-month low of 48.9, which indicated a contraction in activity. All …
6th July 2023
Banks’ exposure to commercial debt hits six-year high Net lending to commercial property remained in positive territory in May at £621m. And over the past three months, lending has totalled £2.3bn, the highest figure since June 2020. Loans for standing …
29th June 2023
The headline CIPS construction PMI increased for a second month in a row in May to 51.6, indicating a small rise in activity. But in line with last month there was a marked difference between the commercial and housing sectors, with the former rising to …
6th June 2023
