Lenders' attitudes towards office properties continue to improve. In particular, interest in first-class properties ("prime assets") is experiencing a renaissance. This is the result of the new European Lender Intentions Survey* by the global real estate service provider CBRE.
Respondents rated office real estate as the third most attractive sector, three places higher than in the 2025 survey, in which they ranked sixth. By lender type, office real estate was outperformed by residential real estate by banks, indicating a renewed confidence in the fundamentals of the sector.
"For CBRE, office properties have been the most important asset class in debt raising over the past three years. The results of this year's survey reflect the match between intent and actual market activity," says Chris Gow, Head of Debt Advisory Europe at CBRE. "We are observing decreasing financing margins, which enable cheaper loans. At the same time, rising investment volumes in the office segment and the continued limited supply underline the strength of the sector."
According to CBRE, the investment volume for office properties in Europe reached 10.7 billion euros in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of six percent compared to the same quarter last year. For 2025 as a whole, the volume amounted to 48.5 billion euros, an increase of 13 percent compared to the previous year. The Trocadéro office building in Paris, which CBRE sold last year, received the largest financing of a single property in Europe since the pandemic, illustrating the willingness of banks to finance large-volume office transactions.
"The residential sector continues to hold the top spot in the ranking, followed by industrial and logistics properties," says Prof. Dr. Ralf J. Klann, Head of Debt and Structured Finance Germany. While few lenders cited data centers as their preferred sector, sentiment toward this segment has improved significantly. In addition, new financing has higher average loan-to-value ratios than in the previous year.
