Our Q1 2026 benchmark of London office fit-out costs across 10 commercial zones and 4 tiers, drawn from live project pricing and market comparisons. Costs stable to rising 2–4% year-on-year, with Canary Wharf and City premiums narrowing against inner-zone 2 areas.
London commercial office fit-out per-sqft costs across the four standard tiers:
| Tier | Range | Typical inclusion |
|---|---|---|
| CAT A | £60–£95 | Landlord base-build finish — raised floors, ceiling grid, VRF, emergency lighting |
| CAT A+ | £95–£140 | CAT A plus meeting rooms, kitchen, carpet, paint, basic furniture |
| CAT B standard | £120–£200 | Full tenant fit-out — partitioning, M&E, joinery, finishes |
| CAT B premium / HQ | £220–£380+ | Bespoke design, premium finishes, AV, stone, architectural commission |
For detailed tier-by-tier breakdowns see the CAT A vs CAT B vs CAT A+ guide.
Percentage premium over the inner-zone 2 baseline (Farringdon, King's Cross, Paddington):
| Zone | Premium | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| City of London | +15–20% | Estate approvals, OoH loading, trading-floor restrictions |
| Canary Wharf | +18–22% | CWG loading windows, skip ban, OoH mandatory |
| Westminster / SW1 | +10–15% | Heritage, listed-building premium, security vetting |
| Holborn / Midtown | +5–10% | Legal-building sensitivity, Inns of Court restrictions |
| Farringdon (post-Elizabeth) | +3–6% | Modest premium driven by demand uplift |
| Liverpool Street / Bishopsgate | +12–18% | Broadgate estate rules, trophy-tower OoH |
| London Bridge / SE1 | +8–12% | Shard/More London logistics |
| Paddington | +2–5% | Modest uplift from Elizabeth line; estate rules manageable |
| King's Cross | +8–12% | Argent amenity-culture OoH, contractor approvals |
| Hammersmith | -10 to 0% | Wider loading, fewer OoH restrictions |
Base CAT B standard (£120–£200 per sqft) movement across the last four quarters:
Year-on-year: +3.2% on the midpoint. Below general-construction inflation (4.8% per BCIS all-in index). Driver: competitive contractor market, muted occupier demand in H2 2025.
Commercial-fit-out trade wages up 4.1% YoY. Electrical and M&E specialists leading. Decorators and carpenters roughly flat.
Partitioning and glazing down 1–2% YoY (normalising from 2022–23 spike). Timber and joinery up 2–3%. Lighting (LED fittings) down 3–5% driven by volume.
ULEZ compliance mandatory from April 2024 — small residual cost impact. Waste disposal up 6% YoY (landfill tax + transport).
CDM 2015, BS 7671 Amendment 2, Part L updates all adding marginal cost to design and specification phases.
Costs drawn from our live commercial project pipeline Q2 2025–Q1 2026 across 47 completed projects totalling 285,000 sqft, supplemented by BCIS and JLL Commercial Fit-Out benchmarks. Zone premiums computed against inner-zone-2 baseline. Year-on-year comparisons adjusted for tier mix.
Full cost breakdowns for each service line: Office Refurbishment, Office Fit-Out, Dilapidations, Maintenance, Partitioning.
We expect flat to +1% movement in Q2. Labour stable; materials normalising; logistics flat. No major cost disruptions forecast unless energy prices shift.
CWG loading regime is tighter (no skips, enclosed-truck waste, 6am–9am and 6pm–10pm windows), which drives out-of-hours labour premium. Estate approval overhead slightly higher.
Rarely without trade-off. Below-range pricing typically signals scope gaps, inadequate prelims or reduced contingency. Ranges shown reflect fair market for fully-compliant delivery.
Measured survey and fixed-price quote within 10 working days.