Hong Kong’s 2026 luxury rents to rise 5% on expat wave: JLL

[HONG KONG] Expatriates relocating to Hong Kong are fuelling demand in the city’s luxury residential market, with rents expected to climb 5 per cent in 2026, according to JLL.

“A lot of hedge funds, wealth management companies and investment banks are expanding in Hong Kong, and they are relocating, bringing international talents into the city,” Cathie Chung, senior research director at JLL Hong Kong, said in a Bloomberg TV interview with David Ingles and Yvonne Man. 

Expats are returning to the city following years of pandemic-era outflows and political uncertainty that had weighed heavily on occupancy rates in the premium segment.

“Residential rents have been breaking records for a continuous 19 months already, and we expect rents to move further,” Chung added.  

The forecast gain of 5 per cent would mark an acceleration in luxury rental values at a time when broader Hong Kong property sales remain under pressure from elevated interest rates.

Centaline Property said in a report on Sunday (Aug 23) that the city’s overall property sales are expected to fall further in August to the lowest in 18 months as buyers turn conservative. BLOOMBERG