We expect office rents to remain muted this year: JLL CEO Ramesh Nair

Corporates will create greater ability to work from home globally. Work from home can take away 5-10 per cent of office demand, says CEO Nair

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and resultant lockdown are expected to have a massive impact on the leasing of commercial properties. In the first quarter of the current calendar year, the absorption of office properties has come down by 30 per cent. RAMESH NAIR, chief executive officer and country head at property consultancy firm JLL, speaks to Raghavendra Kamath about how the segment will get impacted. Edited excerpts:

How will work from home (WFH) affect demand for offices this year?

Corporates will create greater ability to WFH globally. WFH can take away 5-10 per cent of office demand. In the