Take-up

Take-up in Edinburgh city centre during the first half of the year totalled 197,411 sq ft, and was achieved through 60 transactions, 13% higher than the number of transactions in H1 2024. Take-up was 21% higher than the same period in 2024, and also 14% higher than the five-year H1 average.

Grade A take-up totalled 112,588 sq ft through 13 transactions. Grade A take-up was 42% higher than H1 2024, and also 48% above the five-year Grade A average.

Supply

Availability at the end of Q2 2025 stands at 1.7 million sq ft, a decrease of 12% on the previous quarter. This means the overall vacancy rate has also decreased by 120 basis points (bps) and is now 12.9%.

Grade A and Prime availability at the end of Q2 2025 total 437,521 sq ft and 81,131 sq ft, respectively. Whilst Grade A has increased marginally by 6%, Prime has decreased by 50% on the previous quarter, further highlighting the constrained supply of best-in-class. The respective vacancy rates now stand at 4.8% for Grade A and 0.9% for Prime, an increase of 30 bps for Grade A and a decrease of 120 bps for Prime.

Take-up by business sector

The most active sector during H1 2025 was the 'Professional' sector, which leased a total of 52,668 sq ft, which was achieved through seven lettings. The sector accounted for 27% of take-up, with the largest transaction acquired by Addleshaw Goddard at 24–25 St Andrews Square for a total of 29,079 sq ft.

Another active sector during the half year was the 'Business & Consumer' sector, by leasing a total of 49,753 sq ft and accounting for 25% of the total. The largest deal of the sector was by Wood Mackenzie, which acquired 29,690 sq ft at Waverley Gate, with the deal alone accounting for 60% of the sector's take-up.

Rents

There was no further increase in the Prime headline rent during Q2 2025, which means headline rent has remained at £48 per sq ft, and was achieved in Q1 2025. Over the previous five years, headline rent in Edinburgh has grown by 30%, and looking at the further growth prospects for the market, Savills predicts that the Prime rent will be at or above £53 per sq ft by the end of 2029, if not before, representing a 10% increase on current rental levels. However, Savills also expects that a new build pre-let will elevate rental levels to £55 per sq ft or above, which would represent a rental uplift of 12%.

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