Selling an office building: value, sustainability and vacancy

Selling an office building can be done via a commercial estate agent, privately to the tenant, or directly to a fixed buyer. The value of an office building follows from the rental flow and the demanded yield, adjusted for vacancy, overdue maintenance, and sustainability requirements. Since 2023, an office of 100 m² or larger must, in principle, have at least energy label C; if this is missing, buyers will factor the investment into the price.

What is my office building worth?

You calculate the value of an office building by dividing the annual rent by the gross initial yield that buyers demand. With €90,000 annual rent and a required yield of 8.5%, you arrive at approximately €1,059,000; if a buyer demands 10%, the same property drops to €900,000.

Annual rent	NIY 7.5%	NIY 8.5%	NIY 10%
€ 45.000	€ 600.000	€ 529.000	€ 450.000
€ 90.000	€ 1.200.000	€ 1.059.000	€ 900.000
€ 150.000	€ 2.000.000	€ 1.765.000	€ 1.500.000

For an empty office, buyers calculate with the market rent that is realistically achievable, minus the costs for making it ready for let and minus a period of initial vacancy. A short remaining lease term works the same way: the sooner the tenant can leave, the higher the yield a buyer demands.

Remaining term and quality of the lease agreement
Energy label and the remaining sustainability task
Subdivisibility: can the property be split into smaller units?
Parking standards and accessibility by car and public transport
Installations: climate control system, lift, roof, and window frames
Transformation potential to residential or mixed use

Energy label C obligation: what does that mean when selling?

Offices from 100 m² in the Netherlands must in principle have at least energy label C. If your property does not meet this, you can still sell – buyers simply factor the expected investment in insulation, installations and lighting into their offer.

For sellers, the core question is: make it sustainable yourself and sell later, or sell now and transfer the task? Investing yourself pays off mainly if you lease the property for years afterwards and can index the rent. If you sell in the near future, you rarely fully recover a sustainability investment in the sale price.

Selling or transforming a vacant office?

In the event of structural vacancy, there are three realistic routes: re-letting after a refurbishment, transforming into residential or mixed-use, or selling to a party that takes over that trajectory. Transformation yields the highest proceeds, but requires permits, time and capital.

Route	Lead time	Seller risk	Proceeds
Re-let, then sell	6 – 18 months	Initial vacancy and investment	Higher, but uncertain
Self-transforming	1 – 3 years	Permit, construction and financing	Highest, highest risk
Selling to a fixed buyer	2 – 6 weeks	Virtually none	Direct and certain

Whether transformation is possible depends on the environment plan, noise pollution, parking standards and construction (floor height, column grid, shafts). We assess this for every office building we evaluate.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy office buildings without energy label C?

Yes. We purchase office buildings with a sustainability requirement and transparently factor the expected investment into the offer. You do not need to renovate first yourself.

Do you also sell offices with vacancies?

We buy vacant offices. In the case of vacancy, we calculate based on the achievable market rent, the costs to make the property ready for leasing, and the expected initial vacancy period.

Can I sell my office building and continue to rent it?

Yes, that is called sale-and-leaseback. You sell the property and rent it back immediately on pre-determined terms, so that your business remains in place and the capital is released.

How long does the sale of an office building take?

Via a commercial estate agent on the open market, an average of six to twelve months. Directly to a fixed buyer, usually two to six weeks, because there is no financing contingency and no viewing process.

Compiled by the Pandverkoop.nl editorial team. Pandverkoop.nl may be the buyer; our offer is not an independent valuation. Our approach and sources policy. Last updated: 2026-08-23.