Green pay off in commercial real estate in Germany: assessing the role of Super Trophy status

Abstract

Purpose

Based on a hedonic regression approach, the purpose of this paper is to relativize existing green pay off evidence by incorporating Super Trophy as a so far underrepresented determinant. The authors analyze a private panel database of 160 European office properties and confirm a significant green pay off; the positive impact of excellent environmental certification results on market values and net rents is significantly reduced when considering Super Trophy characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a panel database of 160 European office properties, the survey applies a hedonic regression approach including an extensive set of control factors as, for example, location criteria, general property characteristics, climate adjustments, consumption data, refurbishment activities, green leases, sustainable certification and energy performance certificate figures.

Findings

Even though our database still confirms a significant green pay off, the positive impact of excellent environmental certification results on market values and net rents is significantly reduced when controlling for Super Trophy characteristics.

Practical implications

Especially, the question how sustainability can be integrated into real estate appraisal is of major interest. The paper at hand may help in two aspects: on the one hand, it provides further insight with regard to the quantitative impact of Super Trophy Buildings on rents and market values. On the other hand, a higher transparency in appraisals may result in structural specifications that help to consolidate appraisals and empirical evidence on a “green pay off.”

Originality/value

The study investigates a niche segment – landmark properties. The empirical analysis explicitly controls for potential Super Trophy status. It draws attention to the importance of a reasonable and complete set of control variables to increase statistical validity of future studies in that field.

Citation

Ott, C. and Hahn, J. (2018), "Green pay off in commercial real estate in Germany: assessing the role of Super Trophy status", Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 104-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPIF-03-2017-0019