What's a typical lease term in Edinburgh?

10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.

How is rent quoted in Edinburgh?

In GBP/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($53/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) structures predominate.

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 18 months.
Vacancy: 8.4%; trend rising.
Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) structures predominate.

Edinburgh office lease norms

Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) structures predominate.

TL;DR

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 18 months.
Vacancy: 8.4%; trend rising.
Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) structures predominate.

Structure

Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) structures predominate. 10-year terms with 5-year tenant breaks standard. Scottish leases differ procedurally from English (different forms of guarantee, irritancy rather than forfeiture). Rent-free periods of 18-24 months on a 10-year term, plus £40-£60/sqft TI typical.

Negotiating levers

Free rent and TI remain the most negotiable line items; landlords prefer concessions to face-rent cuts because they preserve headline rent and implied valuation. Always model effective rent (face minus PV of concessions).

Key facts

city	Edinburgh
country	United Kingdom
region	EMEA
classARentLocal	42 GBP/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$53/sqft/yr
vacancy	8.4%
typicalLeaseYears	10
typicalRentFreeMonths	18
submarkets	5
primeYieldPct	5.4%

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical lease term in Edinburgh?: 10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.
How is rent quoted in Edinburgh?: In GBP/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($53/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Class A Atlas Editorial Desk — House byline · global editorial team. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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