IT Sector Slump Hits REITs

A staggering ?37,072 crore worth of annual rent from office leases will be at risk 12 months hereon as technology and financial services tenants consider a permanent shift to remote work amid the coronavirus pandemic. As the trend gathers pace, property developers are worried that it may severely cramp their ability to exit REITs, a company that manages a pool of rent-yielding assets and allows developers to monetize them. Around 391 million sq. ft of commercial space will be stake after a year, according to a report by real estate data provider CRE Matrix. Of these, around 186 million sq. ft have completed the lock-in period and will see leases expire within 12 months, the report said. As the pandemic rages in India, IT firms have more than 90% of their staff working from home and many of these firms have been contemplating making remote work a permanent measure for at least a part of their employee base. IBM is the biggest tenant of Embassy Office Parks REIT, contributing to 12% of the REIT’s annual rental income and covering 3.6 million sq. ft of office space, according to exchange filings. The Embassy REIT stock fell 1.08% The second REIT to attempt a public listing—Mindspace Business Parks REIT—also counts IT services firm Accenture as its biggest tenant. Accenture accounts for 8.7% of Mindspace Business Parks’ annual rental income, occupying 1.9 million sq. ft of office space.