--File-- vue de la Banque de Chine (BOC), la Tour de gauche, et Cheung Kong Centre à Hong Kong, Chine, le 29 mai 2007. La flambée des loyers de bureau à Hong Kong sont pr
--File-- View of Bank of China (BOC) Tower, left, and Cheung Kong Centre in Hong Kong, China, May 29, 2007. Surging office rents in Hong Kong are prompting firms including Allianz Global Investors to shift out of the citys most expensive towers as competition for prime space is expected to heat up along with the regions growth. Prime office rents in the Central business district soared 34 percent in the six months ended September from a year earlier, the biggest gain worldwide, according to property broker CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. Office rents in the are may climb as much as 30 percent next year, said Gavin Morgan, head of markets at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. Top-tier buildings such as Cheung Kong Center and International Finance Centre have raised rents as banks including HSBC Holdings Plc and Barclays Plc expand after the financial crisis. The city now has the worlds most expensive occupancy costs after Londons West End. Tenants in Central are reassessing whether it is still within their budget to stay in the district, said Simon Lo, Hong Kong-based director of research and advisory at Colliers International. Some tenants such as professional services or consulting firms have a much lower threshold for rents, he said.
