Utility costs are not included, as these are, in most cases, billed separately.
Overall, costs are already 40% – 50% higher than before the pandemic.
”If we look at developments in recent years, the biggest impact on costs has come from taxes, which have generated over a third of the increases and continue to rise significantly in 2026. This is closely linked to higher construction costs, which have led to an average increase of around 30% in the taxable value of buildings following their revaluation,” explains Mihai Iustin, Operational & Technical Manager | Director | Asset Services at Colliers.
“At the same time, we are seeing notable increases in technical maintenance, security and fire safety services, as well as cleaning, where costs are 35% to 75% higher than in 2022, driven by wage growth, higher consumables prices and the return of employees to the office.”
One of the main factors putting pressure on costs is wages. A further increase of nearly 7% is expected from mid-2026, adding additional strain to already tight budgets. In recent years, the impact has been significant: compared with 2019, the gross minimum wage in Romania has doubled, which is directly reflected in the cost of labor-intensive services.
Colliers’ analysis does not include utility costs, as these are generally charged separately to tenants based on consumption. However, relevant changes are also visible here: for corporate consumers, electricity prices have decreased from the peak recorded at the beginning of the war in Ukraine but stabilized in 2024 – 2025 at more than twice the level seen in 2018 – 2019. In addition, recent tensions in the Middle East point to a possible renewed upward trend in energy costs over the medium term, a trend that is already emerging in new contracts.
Taxes represent the largest component of service charges, accounting for nearly 38% of the total, followed by technical maintenance (22%) and security and fire safety services (almost 14%). In practice, the update of the taxable value of buildings, driven by rising construction costs in recent years, leads to significant adjustments in local taxes and places additional pressure on tenants’ budgets.
However, pressures do not stem only from wages and taxes, but also from regulation. For example, waste management costs, although accounting for only around 2% of the total – have doubled in recent years, both due to the return of employees to the office and new European requirements regarding recycling and waste treatment. At the same time, the gradual return of employees to the office contributes to higher operational costs, through increased consumption of services and resources at building level.
At regional level, Romania remains broadly aligned with Central and Eastern European countries in terms of service charges. According to Colliers data, fees are around 10% lower than in Hungary and 20% lower than in Poland, with differences mainly explained by lower wage levels. However, there are significant variations between markets: the impact of taxes is more than twice as high in Romania as in Hungary, while in Poland tenants paid almost 50% more than in Romania in 2024.
Even in this context, the relatively lower cost level remains a competitive advantage for Romania in attracting international tenants. In the short term, the evolution of these costs will largely depend on wage dynamics, fiscal policies and the geopolitical context, but pressures remain high.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)