NEWS

Logistics real estate survey 

• Logistics properties are seen as a resilient asset class due to long-term secure demand from users, comparatively low complexity in management and easy adjustment in the event of a change of tenant  

• Logistics properties are the most attractive asset class for investors, ahead of residential properties 

• Majority of investors want to increase the logistics share in their portfolio 

• The potential for generating solar power at logistics locations is rated as very high 
   

Monheim, 02.05.2024 - Logistics properties are the most attractive real estate asset class. This was the result of a survey conducted by the consulting firm RUECKERCONSULT on behalf of the investment developer COMPLEMUS Real Estate, in which a total of 46 representatives from the real estate industry took part at the beginning of 2024. Above all, the demand from users speaks for their attractiveness: over two-thirds of the survey participants expect tenant demand for logistics space to increase over the next five years, while only 4.5 percent expect demand to fall. According to the respondents, the main reasons for investing in logistics, in addition to demand, are the comparatively low complexity of property management and the ease of adaptation when changing tenants. 

Respondents rated logistics as the most attractive asset class compared to the other asset classes residential, hotel, retail, and office. On a scale of one to ten points, logistics properties achieved a long-term attractiveness score of 7.8. By comparison, residential properties were rated at 7.3, hotels at 5.7, retail properties at 5.4, and offices at 4.9. 

According to survey participants, the potential for generating solar power at logistics locations is very high. The survey participants also saw logistics as the strongest type of use in terms of resilience. On a rating scale of -3 to +3 (-3 stands for less resilient and +3 for very resilient), logistics properties took first place ahead of residential properties. 

Pero Matic, Managing Partner of COMPLEMUS Real Estate, explains: “Logistics properties are not only highly attractive for investors at the moment, but also in the long term. They are resilient even in times of crisis and once again confirm their position as an important component of global value creation. This is underpinned not least by the higher weighting of this asset class in portfolios planned by many investors.” 

Matthias Dötsch, Managing Partner of COMPLEMUS Real Estate, adds: “I am particularly pleased with the broad acceptance of photovoltaic systems. This promotes the ESG compliance of logistics properties. In addition, the sector pushes the energy transition forward massively.” The potential is enormous: “The German Logistics Association estimates the potential for solar power generation on the suitable roofs of logistics properties at 2.5 terawatt hours - enough to supply 800,000 households.” Legislators could help to exploit this potential quickly by adapting the tax law relatively easily: “If the installed output exceeds 30-kilowatt hours, property operators risk being liable for trade tax for their rental business too. This makes the production of solar power unprofitable.”