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📄 ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Bangkok Office Market Report 2018 — Vacancy, Rent & Net Absorption

Executive summary

Vacant space across the Bangkok office market fell by 10,935 sqm in 2018, comparing the same 189 buildings against 2017 — tenants took more space than they gave back. Occupancy rose from 90.5% to 90.7%.

Weighted asking rent for the same buildings was flat from ฿665 to ฿663/sqm/month. 6 new buildings completed during the year, adding 125,841 sqm.

Analysis by Jirayus Boonyarattapan · survey period: December 2018
10,935
Vacant space fell (sqm)
90.7%
Occupancy (from 90.5%)
฿663
Weighted rent ฿/sqm
513,733
Vacant space (sqm)

How much vacant space changed, and what it means

Vacant, Dec 2017
505,562
Vacant, Dec 2018
494,627
=
Fell by
10,935
net absorption +10,935
📖 Reading this
This is the vacant space in the same 189 buildings at year end, against the year before. In 2018 vacant space fell by 10,935 sqm, meaning tenants took more space than they gave back; occupancy rose from 90.5% to 90.7%. The panel is held fixed because counting newly-opened buildings would show vacant space rising even if no tenant had moved out. The trade calls this difference net absorption, with the sign reversed: vacancy falling is positive, vacancy rising is negative.

Rent in 2018

Like-for-like (same buildings)
฿665 → ฿663
-0.3% · 189 buildings
Whole survey (all surveyed buildings)
฿665 → ฿673
+1.2% · 201 buildings

The two differ because the mix of surveyed buildings changes — when newer, pricier buildings enter the survey the overall average looks higher even if existing buildings did not raise rents. For trend reading, rely on the like-for-like figure.

New supply completed in 2018

6 buildings, 125,841 sqm of new leasable area.

By area (December 2018)

Bangkok office market by area, 2018
Area NLA Occupancy Vacant Weighted rent
Sathorn 790,420 92.5% 59,138 ฿861
Sukhumvit 579,757 91.9% 47,151 ฿737
Rama 9 447,578 95% 22,283 ฿472
Asok 407,120 91.6% 34,323 ฿631
Chidlom 375,113 95.3% 17,670 ฿1,173
Ratchadapisek 373,172 91.2% 32,729 ฿588
New Petchburi 323,746 88.9% 35,871 ฿663
Bangna 303,018 83.7% 49,535 ฿501
Rama 4 299,918 91.4% 25,878 ฿687
Phloen Chit 276,539 86.4% 37,681 ฿1,044
Silom 269,888 92% 21,506 ฿686
Surawong 210,173 91.3% 18,331 ฿471
Phaya Thai 175,705 91.7% 14,548 ฿495
Krung Thonburi 142,765 98.9% 1,532 ฿246
Phahonyothin 136,412 93.6% 8,690 ฿1,212
Rama 3 131,843 89.2% 14,278 ฿440
Vibhavadi Rangsit 96,056 87.1% 12,355 ฿644
Ramkhamhaeng 83,400 71% 24,185 ฿378
Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra 72,514 58.4% 30,164 ฿505
Srinagarindra 36,935 84.1% 5,884 ฿338

Method & scope

This report is computed from the December 2018 survey of the 201 office buildings OfficeBangkok tracks — not a census of every Bangkok building. All figures count only buildings surveyed that year, so a year with thinner coverage is not flattered by a full-stock denominator. The vacancy movement and the rent change use a like-for-like panel of 189 buildings present in both December 2017 and December 2018. Rents are asking rents, weighted by vacant-space size — not effective (post-incentive) rents. Figures in this report are frozen to that survey and do not move as newer data arrives; for current numbers, see the market pages.

Report period: December 2018 · Full methodology →

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