Remote
working could cause a spike in London office vacancy rates.
Savills predicts rates rising from 6.5% this year to 7.2% next
year, before peaking at 8% in 2022. Others argue that it could exceed the peak
of 10.4% seen during the financial crisis.
Several big companies
are planning to offload space. After tripling the size of its London
headquarters last year, challenger bank Monzo is now trying to sub-let a floor
in its offices near Liverpool Street station. HSBC is trying to sub-let a floor
in the Blue Fin building in Southwark and Nationwide has existing plans to do
the same at Threadneedle Street.