London office demand is no longer a boardroom debate. The data shows that teams are voting with their feet and their leases.
For founders and ops leaders this matters right now. Expansion space is being snapped up by the companies your people want to work for.
What do the 2025 numbers really show?
According to UK office research led by Simon Brown at CBRE, office take up across the country hit 20.3 million square feet in Q2 2025.
That is the highest rolling 12 month level in three years and sits above the ten year average. Central London alone absorbed 11.8 million square feet which is a clear sign that big companies are not shrinking their footprint.
In the same CBRE report, five separate London deals were over 100,000 square feet in a single quarter – the highest number of very large transactions since 2018.
In the South East and Greater London, journalist Simon Creasey reports in BE News that Knight Frank recorded 1.2 million square feet of take up in Q1 2025 which was the strongest first quarter since 2008.
The pattern is the same in Central London figures from the CBRE research team. Year to date take up reached 8.1 million square feet in Q3 2025 which is already ahead of 2024.
Under offers are rising and a large share of new developments is pre let. Put simply, the companies that are growing are taking more space and committing earlier. What sits behind these numbers is not a return to old nine to five habits. Teams want the benefits of being together again but with modern expectations.
They want spaces that make meetings easy, give engineers quiet focus areas and give clients a reason to visit, all without locking the business into a rigid ten year lease.
For a growing startup or scaleup this means three things:
- The market is normalising faster than many expected and good space is being absorbed
- Big occupiers are driving demand which will push up prices in the best locations
- Teams are choosing in person time when the office is worth the commute which raises the bar for quality and design
All of this leads to the next decision point for growth companies which is not whether to take space but what kind of space delivers the right mix of quality and flexibility.
Why are growth companies choosing grade a managed space in 2026?
The big shift is not just that companies are taking more space. It is what kind of space they choose.
Across London deals in 2026, grade A buildings account for roughly 86% of take up based on ADAPT Workspace analysis of recent leasing data. This lines up with the wider market trend of a clear move back to larger footprints with a focus on quality.
Leasing experts note that the quality of the building and its location now sit at the top of the priority list for occupiers.
For smaller requirements the pattern is even clearer. Managed and fully fitted options now capture close to 78% of deals under 5000 square feet in London. These are plug and play floors with meeting rooms, phone booths, wiring and furniture already in place. Founders and ops leads avoid fit out costs and months of setup.
Their teams get rooms where video calls work first time, reliable internet, and social spaces that feel closer to home than a grey corporate box.
This is why the old choice between serviced offices or a long conventional lease no longer fits. Growing teams want grade A quality with the flexibility to grow from 10 to 30 to 60 desks without ripping up a ten year contract.
Managed and fitted space gives them that mix. You get the look and performance of a big bank headquarters with terms closer to a flexible licence which also sits better with modern accounting rules.
With more companies chasing this style of space the next question is how timing your move helps you secure it before rents and scarcity catch up.
When is the right moment to lock in more space?
Right now there is a narrow window where demand is rising but pricing has not fully caught up. Across the UK, take up has climbed back above long term averages, yet prime office rents in many London submarkets still sit below their 2019 peak.
For growing teams this creates a short term chance to secure more for less in real terms.
At the same time the pipeline of fresh offices is thin. CBRE data shows only around a quarter of available space is newly built or fully refurbished.
Knight Frank reports just over 1.8 million square feet of speculative space under way in the South East and Greater London, against millions more of active requirements and upcoming lease expiries. That imbalance will push the best options out of reach.
Acting early lets you:
- Reserve space in better buildings before competitors move
- Lock in today’s rents in areas where values are starting to climb
- Negotiate future expansion rights within the same building
- Pre let in schemes that are still under construction so the fit works for you
The smartest operators are already doing this. ARM has pre let an entire building in Cambridge and Knight Frank expects large pre lets to dominate where modern stock is scarce beyond 2027.
The lesson for scale minded leaders is simple: move before the crowd or be left choosing from what is left.
How ADAPT helps you win the race for quality space
The story in the data is clear: the best grade A, plug-and-play offices are being taken early, often by bigger companies with deeper pockets. Growing teams risk getting pushed into leftover space or rigid leases that don’t fit how they actually work. ADAPT exists to stop that happening.
Instead of calling around agents, scrolling portals, and guessing at timing, you get clarity. ADAPT maps the whole flex and managed market for you.
Your plans become a clear brief built around headcount, budget, locations, and hybrid patterns. From there, we curate the best grade A and fitted options, including off-market spaces not listed online. We’ll help you:
- Move early enough to lock in today’s rents in rising areas
- Secure high-quality managed space that’s ready on day one
- Build in future growth (more desks, extra floors, or a move within the same building)
- Decide whether to pre-let new schemes where you can influence the layout
For founders and ops leads, the result is simple: a better office in a better building, on terms that don’t box you in.
As a specialist, long-term partner to providers and landlords, ADAPT offers more than a snapshot of current availability. You also see what’s coming to market next.
The mistake we see most often isn’t taking too much or too little space – it’s waiting too long and then having no real choice. Our job is to give growing teams back that choice, and turn a tightening market into their advantage.
Chris Meredith, ADAPT CEO & Founder
What can you do to get ahead of your next office move?
If you’re planning to hire, sitting in a tired space, or tied to a lease that no longer fits how your team actually uses the office, now is the moment to explore your options. The right flexible, grade A office doesn’t just look better – it helps you attract talent, bring people together, and grow without constant upheaval.
