Cologne's office market is booming: take-up exceeds previous year by 39%!

Cologne's office market is booming: take-up exceeds previous year by 39%!

In the first half of 2025, the Cologne office rental market grew significantly and achieved a take-up of 107,500 m², which corresponds to an increase of a whopping 39 percent compared to the previous year. Loud CONII This is a positive development, especially since the first quarter made a significant contribution to this with 70,000 m². However, it is noted that both the five and ten year averages could not be fully achieved and the forecast for the full year is around 220,000 m².

The large rentals that are revitalizing the market are particularly exciting. The Cologne job center is moving to Vitalisstraße, while the “Düxx” company is moving to Siegburger Straße. The modern “Dom Quartier” in the city center also scores points with a rental area of ​​4,200 m² thanks to St. Oberholz, which indicates growing demand in central locations.

The distribution of requests

The currently most sought-after locations are the city with 31,400 m², followed by Ehrenfeld/Braunsfeld, where 29,300 m² were auctioned. The public administration leads the activity, with a total of 32,100 m², mainly due to the rentals of the job center. Company-related service providers are now also renting 18,500 m², showing that there is movement in this sector too.

Despite this upswing, general demand remains cautious. There are economic and political challenges that impact decision-making processes. Users often want maximum flexibility, short rental periods and modern, sustainable rooms that are equipped with air conditioning and electric charging stations. This could mean that the lack of central space and low construction activity are causing difficulties for companies.

Market situation and rental prices

The vacancy rate has recently increased by 110 basis points and is now 4.6 percent. However, Cologne can still boast one of the lowest vacancy rates among the real estate strongholds in this country. The top rent remains constant at 32.50 euros/m², which is also the lowest value compared to other cities, while the maximum rent is still at 35.00 euros/m².

The figures also show that over 50 percent of space take-up occurs in the city of Cologne. Weststadt has a good position with a market share of over 36 percent, strongly driven by job center rentals. The north of Cologne secures around 8 percent of the market share. However, the current market development is characterized by a structural lack of new building space, which is affecting growth.

A look into the future shows that market activity has recently increased, particularly in the segment under 1,000 m². A conservative estimate suggests that economic growth has been revised to 1.5 percent in 2026, which could potentially impact the office market. However, short-term impulses remain rare, as decision-making processes often progress slowly Angerman supplemented.

Overall, the Cologne office market remains stable, but not spectacular. The current economic situation, coupled with a lack of new construction, gives hope for a balancing of the markets so that good business can continue to be done in the future.