Mumbai, Aug 25 (IANS) The Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market in India has been witnessing significant resilience and growth, marked by expanding portfolios, stable occupancy, and healthy Weighted Average Lease Expiry (WALE) levels, signalling strong fundamentals and investor confidence, according to a new report released on Monday.

REITs are investment instruments that allow investors, both individual and institutional, to participate in the real estate sector, without directly owning properties.

The real estate sector’s strong fundamentals, urbanization trends, sustained corporate leasing demand, and supportive regulation has been contributing to continued growth in the segment. Moreover, the spurt in investor interest amid growing confidence in yield-generating assets is leading to a good growth in volumes of REITs, said the report by ICRA Analytics.

“The growth in REITs underscores renewed institutional and retail investor appetite for commercial real estate-backed securities, supported by uptick in office demand and resilient rental yields. We believe Indian REITs remain a compelling, income-generating asset class backed by high-quality commercial real estate for institutional and retail investors in India in the coming days,” said Madhubani Sengupta, head-knowledge services, ICRA Analytics.

According to the report, the last four years have been transformative for portfolio expansion. Brookfield India REIT has shown aggressive growth, increasing its total leasable area from 18.6 million square feet (msf) in FY2022 to 29.0 msf in FY2025, driven by strategic acquisitions and asset development.

Embassy REIT continues to dominate the sector with over 51 msf of premium office space, while Mindspace Business Parks REIT has expanded steadily from 31.8 msf to 37.1 msf, maintaining a strong presence in multiple metro cities.

Long leases drive stability across Indian REITs. Embassy REIT leads with a WALE of 8.4 years in FY2025, reflecting strong tenant stickiness and long-term cash flow stability. Brookfield India REIT, despite interim fluctuations, sustains a healthy 7.0-year WALE, supported by large-scale corporate occupiers. Mindspace REIT has demonstrated consistency, maintaining WALE in the range of 6.9–7.4 years across FY2022–FY2025, showcasing effective lease renewals and portfolio resilience, the report states.

Indian REITs continue to demonstrate robust occupancy despite economic challenges. Mindspace REIT leads in FY2025 with 91.2 per cent, showcasing strong tenant retention and leasing demand. Embassy REIT remains steady in the 85–87 per cent range, supported by a diversified Fortune 500 tenant base. Brookfield India REIT records 88 per cent, reflecting improving demand momentum, it further states.

These high occupancy levels reaffirm the strength of India’s Grade-A office market and provide long-term income visibility for investors, the report added.

--IANS

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