The Government’s New Rental Act Limits Annual Price Increases to CPI

1 March 2019 – Eje Prime

On Friday, the Government approved a new Rental Act containing urgent measures for the rental sector, including a limit on annual price rises for new contracts to CPI. However, in the end, no IBI rebate incentive was included to reward landlords for maintaining rental prices below the reference price index.

The measure to limit rental price increases will take effect for new contracts signed from the date that the law enters into force.  Moreover, the law provides for the preparation of a state-managed house price reference index within eight months, which will be updated annually.

In addition, the law extends the period for extending rental contracts to five years, from the current term of three years.

Original story: Eje Prime

Summary/Translation: Carmel Drake

Colonial’s Profits Fell by 23% in 2018 to €525M

26 February 2019 – El Confidencial

Colonial closed 2018 with revenues from rental income of €347 million, up by 23% compared to a year earlier. Nevertheless, the Socimi’s profit decreased by 23% to €525 million, given that in 2017, the firm recorded a gain from the sale of a building in Paris – In & Out – for €445 million and was converted into a Socimi. The buildings contributed by the merger with Axiare generated €56 million, equivalent to 16.1% of the total.

These are Colonial’s first results following the completion of its merger with Axiare, the Socimi over which it launched a €1.45 billion takeover in November 2017, and in a year in which it also increased its stake in the French firm Société Foncière Lyonnaise (SFL).

In a relevant fact sent to the CNMV, the Socimi also announced that it ended the year with assets worth €11.3 billion – distributed across the centres of Paris, Barcelona and Madrid – up by 22%, following the integration of Axiare onto its balance sheet. Excluding the effect of that integration, the increase would have amounted to 8% (…).

“Following an excellent year, we are confident of achieving a very satisfactory performance in the market and of generating rental income of €500 million over the next three or four years”, explained the CEO of Colonial, Pere Viñolas, who added that the company’s recurring profit, after excluding extraordinary items and asset revaluations, amounted to €101 million and represented an increase of 22%.

In operational terms, last year, Colonial signed 103 rental contracts, spanning a total surface area of 175,000 m2, which will generate rental income of €43 million p.a. (…).

In financial terms, at the end of 2018, Colonial recorded net debt of €4.7 billion at the end of 2018, up by 52% with respect to 2017 (€3.1 billion) before the purchase of Axiare. That liability accounts for 39% of the firm’s asset value (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E.S.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Zambal Extends the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Rental in the Torres Ágora until 2023

26 February 2019 – Eje Prime

Zambal has renewed its contract with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has consolidated one of its main assets. The Socimi, managed by IBA Capital Partners, has signed a new rental contract with the public body for the Ágora Towers, the facilities that house most of the personnel assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

The new rental contract will last for four years, of which the first two are mandatory, according to reports made by the real estate company to the Alternative Investment Market (MAB).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been the tenant of the Ágora Towers, located at number 26 Calle Serrano Galvache in Madrid, since 22 October 2012 (…). Zambal has been the owner of the complex, which comprises two 15-storey twin buildings with three basement floors, since December 2013. The towers have a gross leasable area of 30,469 m2 and 469 parking spaces (…).

Original story: Eje Prime (by Roger Arnau)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Azora Acquires HQ of the Former Cortefiel Group for €28.3M

24 January 2019 – Eje Prime

Another operation has been closed in the office market in Madrid. The Socimi GMP, controlled by the Montoro family and the sovereign fund of Singapore, has sold the building located at number 51 Calle Llano Castellano to Azora. The price of the operation amounted to €28.3 million.

The property now controlled by Azora, the real estate manager founded by Concha Osácar and Fernando Gumuzio, is occupied in its entirety by Tendam, previously known as the Cortefiel Group and owner of the fashion chains Cortefiel, Women’secret, Springfield and Pedro del Hierro.

The rental contract for the building, which has a gross leasable area of 23,108 m2 and 145 parking spaces, is due to expire in 2023.

The building was constructed in 1990 and had been controlled 100% by GMP since 2015. Until then, the property was in the hands of the real estate division of General Electric through the company Renta Gestión Fuencarral.

Its new owner, Azora, specialises in the investment and management of real estate assets for third parties and has a portfolio comprising more than €4.5 billion in assets. The company was the promoter of Hispania, the first Socimi to be constituted, which made its debut on the stock market in Spain in 2014.

Azora was considering its own stock market debut, but in the end, it suspended that process last year. Azora and Hispania ended their agreement last year, after Blackstone’s successful takeover of the Socimi.

Since then, the company has focused on the residential rental market through the creation of a joint venture with CBRE Global Investment and Madison to reach a portfolio of 10,000 homes over the coming years.

Azora manages the real estate portfolios of funds and wealthy investors, such as George Soros, CBRE Global Investors, Goldman Sachs, Axa Investment Management and Bank of Montreal, amongst others (…).

Original story: Eje Prime (by P. Riaño and I. P. Gestal)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rental Contracts Will Be Governed by the Urban Rental Act Again From 23 January 2019

22 January 2019 – El Confidencial

Rental contracts that are signed from tomorrow will again have a duration of three years, regardless of whether the landlord is a physical person or a legal entity. Also, landlords may require future tenants to provide more than one month’s deposit, as well as any additional guarantees that they consider appropriate, either in cash or as a bank guarantee.

Royal Decree-Law 21/2018, dated 14 December, governing Urgent Measures in terms of Housing and Rents, published in the BOE on 18 December, has had a very short life, given that it has not been ratified by Congress today, in such a way that all of the rental contracts that are signed from tomorrow onwards will be governed once again by the Urban Rental Act (LAU) approved in 2013. The result of the vote was 103 votes in favour versus 243 votes against, plus one abstention.

In the way, the Government has today suffered its first major defeat in Congress, after the majority of representatives voted no to the law on rental, which was only supported by the PNV and PDeCAT in the end. The decree was completely rejected by Unidos Podemos, which was not happy that the Executive had ignored its main demand to move forward with the budgets: to limit rental prices in those markets with greatest tensions and highest prices. PP, Ciudadanos and ERC joined the Purple Party in their rejection of the decree (…).

All of this means that for practical purposes, the rental market will once again be governed in accordance with the legislation set out in the LAU of 2013, whilst all of those contracts that were signed following the approval of the royal decree in the BOE to date will continue in force in accordance with the provisions thereof.

Three-year contracts and larger deposits

The parties may negotiate freely regarding the duration of contracts, nevertheless, the obligatory extension of those contracts shall be three years. In other words, although a landlord and tenant sign a one-year contract, the tenant will have the right to extend that contract for a total of three years. The tacit extension, in other words, after those three years, and provided the parties are in agreement, shall be one year.

“The landlord can demand whatever deposit he wants for the rental of a home; the decree law limited that figure to two months. In this way, the owners of flats will be able to continue to ask for bank guarantees or bank deposits, as well as a normal deposit”, explained Francisco Javier Fajardo Fernández, Professor of Civil Law at the University of Navarra (…).

Regarding those parties who have signed a rental contract in the last 35 days, he indicates that “it would be normal for citizens to sign rental contracts for a year, but those that have signed contracts in the last 35 days could be subject to a mandatory extension of up to five years. The law would cover them, although it is possible that some landlords will want to modify their contracts to apply the current law (…).

“Contracts signed between 18 December and 22 January shall be subject to a special regime with respect to the contracts signed from tomorrow onwards (…)”, said the Professor from the University of Navarra.

The return of the law from 2013 also means that landlords will be able to recover their property to use it as a permanent home in certain cases after the first year of the contract term (…).

Rental updates

On the other hand, regarding updates to rental prices, another controversial topic, according to the royal decree, if the contract does not explicitly specify that the rent will increase each year, then there shall be no rent increase. By contrast, under the law from 2013, even though the contract does not specify it, rental prices are updated each year in line with CPI – the typical rate used – or the index specified – and, if there is no mention of any index, the consumer guarantee index (IGC), approved by the Disindexation Law of 2015 (…).

Original story: El Confidencial (by E. Sanz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

UOC Buys its Home in 22@ from Invesco for €30.6M

7 November 2018 – Eje Prime

The Universidad Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has acquired Can Jaumandreu. The entity has purchased the iconic office complex, located in the 22@ district of Barcelona from Invesco Real Estate for €30.6 million.

The university institution, which has occupied the property on a rental basis since 2005, together with the public institution of the Town Hall of Barcelona Bagursa, has obtained ownership of the property on a concession basis until 2078. The purchase has been made as a result of the growth of the entity, the consolidation of the district and, above all, the rationalisation of the spaces that it has in Barcelona into a single complex, reported the UOC in a statement.

Can Jaumandreu is one of the most iconic office complexes in the 22@ district. With a surface area measuring 12,284 m2, the property comprises two buildings and has a 7@ certification, which means that only public companies or outreach or training firms may occupy the space.

Alejandro Monge, Director of Invesco Real Estate in Spain, highlighted that “the divestment forms part of the fund’s usual asset rotation policy, given that the complex has been in the portfolio for more than ten years”. Nevertheless, for the company, which has recently acquired three logistics assets in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain is still a priority investment area”, said the executive. “We are still looking for opportunities to invest in high-quality assets and increase our presence in this market”, said the Director.

The 22@ district – all the rage in Barcelona 

The office district of the moment in Barcelona is registering record figures for another year. According to the Marketshot report compiled by Cushman&Wakefield, the consultancy firm that has advised the operation, 86 rental operations were closed in the 22@ district in 2017spanning 101,000 m2, which represents the highest figure in the last ten years and 34% more than in the previous two years (…).

The investment volume, which amounted to €161 million in the 22@ district in 2017, more than tripled the €51 million figure recorded in 2016. In metres squared, the investment volume corresponded to a surface area of 173,000 m2, well above the figure recorded in 2016, of 33,000 m2.

Original story: Eje Prime 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Three New Tenants Move into Torre Espacio

25 September 2018 – Eje Prime

Torre Espacio is almost completely full. The Spanish group Villar Mir has added three new tenants to its property on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid. The companies have leased 3,019 m2 in the property.

Thanks to this operation, the Spanish group led by Juan Miguel Villar Mir has leased 94% of the total surface area of Torre Espacio, the fourth tallest skyscraper in all of Spain. The supermarket cooperative Coviran, the application design firm Mobetia and the fibre optic operator Ufinet are the three companies that will now carry out their activity in the building.

The property is distributed over 57 floors and is currently owned by the Philippine group Emperador. Its tenants include several embassies, such as those of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) and firms such as Red Bull and Equifax.

The arrival of the new companies in Torre Espacio comes in the middle of the divestment plan in which Villar Mir is immersed. A few months ago, it sold 12.2% of its shareholding in OHL, reducing its stake to 38.2%. The main reason for that move was to decrease the group’s debt.

In August, Villar Mir sold the 32.5% stake that it held in the share capital of Project Canalejas to OHL, the construction firm owned by the holding company, for €50 million, according to a statement filed by the company with Spain’s National Securities and Market Commission (CNMV).

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Everis & AXA Sign The Largest Office Rental in Madrid Since 2013

17 May 2018 – Eje Prime

Everis and AXA have signed the largest office rental contract in Madrid since 2013. AXA’s real estate manager is going to lease almost all of Edificio Novus, located in the north of the Spanish capital, to the consultancy firm, which will occupy 37,800 m2, according to a statement issued by the insurance group.

Located close to Barajas airport, the building has six floors and spans a total surface area of 42,000 m2. It is also home to Hilti, the company that supplies technology to the construction sector. Everis is going to employ up to 4,000 people on the site, whereby centralising its workers in the capital into one building.

The asset has been owned by AXA Real Assets since 2015. Over the last three years, that group has renovated the common areas and has promoted the name Novus, the building’s new brand name since it passed into the hands of the multinational.

In addition to this contract, Everis already closed a rental contract with GMP for more than 5,000 m2 of space in the building at number 77 Paseo de la Castellana. A priori, the headquarters of the consultancy in Spain will be located there, with offices for directors and the most corporate areas of the company (…).

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

CBRE: 76,000 m2 of Office Space was Leased in Barcelona in Q1

10 April 2018 – El Periódico

During the first three months of the year, 76,000 m2 of office space was leased in Barcelona. That volume, which represents an increase of 4% with respect to previous quarters, is the highest seen in the last nine months, which means that, despite the political tensions, activity in the city’s office market is performing well. According to a report from CBRE, “companies are moving for very specific reasons and the appeal of Barcelona means that activity remains high. Currently, several large companies are evaluating new locations for their offices, which means that the forecast in the short and medium term for leasing remains good”, said Lindy Garber, Head of the Office Area at the real estate consultancy firm.

The most notable operations recorded during the first quarter include the rental of 6,500 m2 of office space by the Property Registrars in the BCN Fira District complex on Paseo de la Zona Franca; the move by the company Norwegian Air to Nike’s former offices on the Mas Blau industrial estate, where it is going to occupy 5,400 m2; as well as Pepsico Iberia’s move to its new offices spanning 4,900 m2 in the WTC Almeda Park complex. Like in most large cities, Barcelona is seeing an increase in demand from companies offering co-working space.

The volume of surface area available in the market continues to be low for another quarter. In the last year, the availability rate has decreased from 12.5% to 10.3%, and there is a shortage of large, high-quality spaces. Although several projects have been handed over in recent quarters, they have not been added to the new supply, since they were pre-leased before they even came onto the market. This practice is gaining ground due to the lack of available product in the market. On the other hand, the entry onto the market of Torre Glòries added around 27,000 m2 of available space in one of the most sought-after areas of the city, the 22@ district. Prime rents, which have risen by 35% since 2014, are continuing their upward trajectory, and now amount to €24/m2/month. Although that figure is still well below the peak of €28/m2/month reached in 2008, the rising trend is expected to continue in the medium term.

Investment market

During the first three months of the year, the office market recorded an investment volume of €121 million thanks, above all, to the purchase of Axiare by Colonial. This represents an increase with respect to the previous quarter when the investment volume amounted to €66.5 million. Nevertheless, despite the improvement in the investment figure with respect to the previous quarter thanks to the aforementioned operation, the political uncertainty is undoubtedly having an impact on the investment market.

Xavier Güell, Director of this area in Barcelona for CBRE, said that “during the last quarter of last year, investors suspended operations that they had underway because of that uncertainty; many returned to their purchase processes at the beginning of this year, but they remain cautious. Given that these processes require a certain amount of consolidation time, the operations will not be reflected in investment volumes until the second or third quarters”. Prime yields remain stable at around 4.25%.

Original story: El Periódico (by Max Jiménez Botías)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Deka Completes Purchase of 16 Inditex Stores in Spain & Portugal for €400M

31 January 2018 – Eje Prime

An agreement has now been reached between Deka and Inditex. The investment fund has purchased 16 retail stores in Spain and Portugal from the Inditex Group for €400 million. Fourteen of the premises are located in Spain. The company founded by Amancio Ortega will continue as the tenant in all of the establishments, which include several Zara shops.

The German company is whereby acquiring a package of stores located all over Spain: from Madrid (on c/Preciados and in Puerta del Sol) and Barcelona (c/Pelayo) to Palencia, Córdoba, Albacete and Málaga.

Through this operation, Inditex is reaffirming its strategy to operate almost all of its stores under rental contracts. Currently, 98% of its establishments are managed in that way.

It is worth highlighting that the retail assets sold do not belong to Pontegadea, the real estate arm of Amancio Ortega, which has been involved in several operations in recent weeks. Highlights include the segregation of its rental activity and a €100 million capital increase, as well as the appointment of Iñigo Bengoechea as the legal representative of several of the companies that make up the family office.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake