· Take-up of around 42,700 square metres (+33 per cent year-on-year)
· Vacancy rate at 6.9 percent (-31 percent compared to the previous year)
· Rents with a slight downward correction
The Darmstadt office rental market, including Griesheim and Weiterstadt, achieved take-up of around 42,700 square metres in 2025 (with owner-occupiers, excluding lease extensions). This means that the result is around 33 percent above the previous year’s result and about 20 percent above the five-year average.
Ann Skrollan Persicke, Team Lead Office Letting Wiesbaden, Mainz & Darmstadt at Colliers, says: “The development of the Darmstadt office leasing market last year shows a clear upward trend. For the first time since 2020, take-up of more than 40,000 square metres was recorded. A major deal for 14,000 square metres by Wella AG made a significant contribution to this positive development. With a share of 38 percent, the manufacturing industry is accordingly the strongest user group. This is followed by public administration and the information and telecommunications industry, each with a share of 14 percent.”
Vacancy rate is below the 7 percent mark
The supply of office space available at short notice has declined significantly over the course of the year and currently amounts to around 133,400 square metres. This results in a vacancy rate of 6.9 percent (previous year: 10 percent). “The significant decline in vacancy, which had risen noticeably in the past two years, is due in particular to the increasing absorption of existing space. At the same time, the volume of new space coming onto the market remains limited. In 2025, only around 4,000 square metres of new construction volume were completed. However, these were exclusively owner-occupier developments, so no additional available space was added to the market,” explains Benjamin Harms, Associate Director Office Letting Wiesbaden, Mainz & Darmstadt at Colliers.
Rents show stable development with slight correction
Prime rents remained stable over the course of the year, although a slight downward correction has recently been observed. The prime rent fell by 3 percent compared to the previous year to currently 15.00 euros per square meter. This development is due in particular to the comparatively low number of deals in the new construction segment as well as in comprehensively revitalised existing buildings, which usually achieve the highest rental price level on the market. The average rent also fell by 1.5 percent year-on-year and currently stands at 12.80 euros per square meter. This reflects the overall change in demand preference, with many occupiers increasingly concentrating on economically more attractive space and more selective demand for high-priced offers. “The current geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions mean that companies are acting much more price-sensitively and paying more attention to efficiency. This applies to both the rental costs and the use of space. Accordingly, optimised space concepts and flexible floor plans are increasingly coming into focus,” says Harms.
Conclusion and outlook
The year 2025 marked an overall positive development in Darmstadt’s office leasing market. Despite the continuing challenging economic conditions, companies are once again increasingly making strategic space decisions and are increasingly focusing on the location in the long term. The declining vacancy rates and the stable rent level suggest that the market is gradually stabilising and that the office property market is expected to develop cautiously positively overall in 2026 as well.
