Experts believe that single-owned and managed buildings in India’s commercial real estate market offer higher returns, more operational efficiency, and greater appeal. Therefore, investors are choosing them over strata-owned assets.
One important metric that unequivocally demonstrates that single-owned commercial properties are outperforming their strata counterparts with many owners and operators is the rental returns for commercial assets across significant real estate markets.
According to data from CRE Matrix, commercial realty owned by a single entity is in high demand, particularly in key regions such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Gurugram, and Chennai. For instance, in Pune’s South West region, single-owned properties exhibited an 18% higher rental yield compared to strata properties. Similarly, in Chennai’s Southern Suburbs II, the rental yield difference reached 32%.
Vinod Rohira, MD & CEO of commercial real estate at K Raheja Corp, emphasized that Grade A commercial assets benefit from proactive management, attracting top tenants. He noted that single-owned assets, unlike strata buildings, ensure reliability in services and utilities, crucial for business operations and talent retention. Tenants, he claims, are prepared to pay more for superior office assets—a feat only accomplished by asset managers who are sole proprietors.
Operational efficiency is a crucial benefit of single-owned properties. Centralized management, made possible by single ownership, promotes quicker decision-making and more efficient property upkeep.
“Single-owned buildings are relatively younger in age as institutional investment in real estate started around 20 years ago. At a pan-India level, single-owned buildings are 20% younger than strata-owned buildings, and this difference gets even bigger when we see those micro-markets where the delta in rentals is even higher,” said Abhishek Kiran Gupta, CEO and cofounder, CRE Matrix.
He claims that because a developer builds and maintains a single-owned building to ensure its longevity and secure a continuous stream of income, the building’s overall quality is better recognized than that of a strata-owned structure. On the other hand, because of the numerous owners, strata properties frequently experience management difficulties causing delays in maintenance and decision-making.