£47m Saved in 2025: What's Next for Occupiers in 2026
Now that 2026 is well under way, we’ve taken an opportunity to reflect on our achievements throughout 2025, a year that brought substantial savings for our clients, important developments in the market and continued growth for Assure.
Another Record Year of Savings
The Assure team delivered outstanding results once again, securing £47 million in service charge and lease‑related cost savings for our retail, leisure and office clients. These savings stem from a variety of challenges, including identifying charging errors, scrutinising budget expenditures, and ensuring caps are correctly applied. Our team has meticulously examined the numbers and lease terms to uncover these savings.
Market Pressures and Budget Trends
In 2025, we continued to witness significant increases in service charge budgets across retail parks and shopping centres, primarily driven by rising staff costs due to the changes to minimum wage and National Insurance contributions introduced in the Labour Government’s 2024 Autumn Budget.
In the office sector, major refurbishment and upgrade works remain a key driver of rising costs. These pressures are expected to persist, with budgets likely to continue increasing into 2026.
Some budgets are being provided in good time by the institutional Landlords, perhaps conscious of the changes to the RICS Professional Standard mandatory requirements introduced from 31st December 2025, but perhaps not as many as we might have hoped – more on that to follow shortly. From these budgets, and early discussions we have had with Landlords, increases are still over the current rate of inflation, but not at the same rates as in 2025.
New Clients and Personal Recommendations
We were delighted to welcome several new clients in 2025, and we have already seen a strong wave of new enquiries in early 2026. Many of these enquiries come from personal referrals, so we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to anyone that has recommended us!
European and wider International Occupiers
Backed by our European and international expertise, we’ve experienced a significant uplift in projects in 2025, with momentum set to continue. Corporate occupiers are increasingly seeking tighter, centralised control of their lease costs. Our team is at the forefront of delivering the clarity and consistency they need.
Looking Ahead to 2026
In the coming year, we will be challenging managing agents to continue to find innovative ways to mitigate cost increases, whether through increased use of technology, incentivised facilities management contracts, or detailed scrutiny of project work proposals.
Our Assure Index review of 2026 YE budgets will be published in the next few weeks, providing a deeper look at emerging trends and cost movements across the UK commercial property market.
Want to Reduce Your Property Costs in 2026?
We’ll soon be hosting a short introductory webinar on how occupiers can reduce property costs in 2026 and beyond. Keep an eye on your inbox for the invite or get in touch with us now if you’d like to get started sooner.