What is a BREEAM certificate?

BREEAM is a British, internationally recognised green building certificate. It assesses a building on criteria including energy efficiency, water consumption, materials and occupant comfort. Certification levels range from Pass, through Good, Very Good and Excellent, to Outstanding. In Polish Class A office buildings it is the most common designation alongside LEED.

How does BREEAM differ from LEED and WELL?

BREEAM (British) and LEED (American, with levels from Certified to Platinum) assess a building's environmental impact. They are equivalent systems, and the choice between them usually rests with the developer, not the tenant. WELL focuses on something else: the health and comfort of the people in the building (air, light, acoustics). In practice, what matters to a tenant is not the name of the system but what the certificate means for operating costs and ESG reporting.

Does a certified building mean lower costs for the tenant?

Yes, in total cost terms. Certified buildings have 13-20% lower operating costs and 25-39% lower energy consumption. The balance for the tenant: higher rent (5-11%) minus lower service charges (13-20%) = comparable or lower total occupancy cost, and the savings accumulate over leases of 5+ years.

How large is the rent premium in certified buildings?

Certified buildings achieve a rent premium of 5.5-6%, and sometimes as much as 7-11%, compared to non-certified buildings. That is why offers should be compared on total cost of occupancy (TCO), not on the headline rent alone.

How many office buildings in Poland are certified?

Nearly a thousand Class A office buildings in Poland are certified, and BREEAM, LEED and WELL designations appear in space descriptions ever more often.

Does the CSRD require leasing in a certified building?

Not directly: the CSRD obliges large organisations to report on ESG. But leasing in a certified building makes this considerably easier: part of the responsibility for sustainability passes to the property owner, and the tenant receives ready CO2 emission data to submit to auditors and investors.

Building Certificates: Trend or Real Savings?

Key takeaways

Certified buildings (BREEAM, LEED) use 25-39% less energy and carry 13-20% lower service charges, while rent is 5.5-11% higher. In total cost terms a tenant pays the same or less than in a non-certified building, and the savings accumulate over leases of 5 years or more. A certified building also makes ESG reporting under the CSRD directive easier. Nearly a thousand Class A office buildings in Poland are certified.

Updated 3 September 2026

Nearly a thousand Class A office buildings on the Polish real estate market are certified. BREEAM, LEED, WELL: these designations appear increasingly frequently in office space descriptions. But is certification real savings for tenants, or just a marketing element that raises rent?

Energy savings: facts and figures

Market observations and European industry research clearly show: certified buildings offer real energy savings. The analysis found that buildings with BREEAM or LEED certificates can achieve energy savings of 25-39 percent compared to non-certified buildings.

For a company leasing 3,000 square metres of office space, this difference can mean tens of thousands of zlotys in annual savings. This is particularly important in the context of the Polish market, where service charges represent a significant portion of the total occupancy cost.

Does higher rent pay off?

A natural question arises: doesn't higher rent in a certified building cancel out the energy savings? European market research from 2024 on building certification shows that certified buildings can achieve rental premiums of 5.5-6 percent, and sometimes up to 7-11 percent compared to non-certified buildings.

However, when we add up the total operating cost (higher rent minus lower service and energy charges), tenants very often pay the same or even less than in traditional buildings. This means certification is not just a trend, but a strategy for reducing real operating costs.

Cost comparison: certified vs. non-certified building

Non-Certified Building

100%

Base rent + typical service and energy charges

Certified Building

97-102%

Higher rent (5-11%) - lower service charges (13-20%) = comparable or lower total cost

Energy Savings

25-39%

Rent Premium

5.5-11%

Lower Service Charges

13-20%

Certified Buildings in Poland

~1000

Benefits beyond financial savings

Building certification wouldn't be so popular if it were solely about energy savings. Equally important are additional benefits:

Employer Branding: Employers increasingly promote the fact that they lease space in a certified building as part of their ESG strategy. Employees, particularly from the millennial and Gen Z generations, prefer to work for companies with a clear commitment to sustainability.

ESG Reporting: Compliance with ESG reporting requirements is becoming reality. The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) from 2025 requires large companies (250+ employees, turnover of EUR 40 million+) to report according to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. From 2027, the obligation extends to smaller enterprises.

Better Working Conditions: Certified buildings typically offer better air quality, natural light, ergonomic solutions and cycling infrastructure. This directly impacts employee productivity and satisfaction.

CSRD: new requirement, new motivation

Implementation of the CSRD changes the calculus for many companies. ESG reporting will no longer be optional for large organisations. Leasing an office in a certified building automatically transfers part of the responsibility for sustainability to the property owner.

For the tenant, this means: easier compliance with reporting requirements, ready-to-submit CO2 emission data for auditors and investors, and participation in a solid industry benchmark.

Checklist: is a certified building right for your company?

Decision criteria for leasing in a certified building

CSRD Requirements: Does your company need to report under the CSRD, or does it plan to in the future?

ESG Strategy: Is sustainability part of your company's image and marketing strategy?

Large Number of Employees: The more employees, the greater the total savings on service and energy charges.

Long-term Lease: Certification pays off more with leases of 5+ years, where savings accumulate.

Talent Recruitment: Is location in a certified building an important element of your employer branding?

Industry: Companies from ESG-sensitive sectors (finance, technology, cosmetics) prefer certified buildings.

Location Access: Does the certified building offer your preferred location and access to public transport?

Summary: more than a trend

Building certificates have stopped being a marker of luxury. They have become a tool for optimising operating costs, meeting reporting requirements and building employer image. For companies counting on ever-increasing ESG requirements (and they will increase), leasing a certified building is no longer a question of whether, but when.

Tenant advisors, acting on behalf of companies, recommend conducting a total cost of ownership analysis for each potential location. Sometimes a certified building with 10 percent higher rent will actually be cheaper than a traditional building once all variables are taken into account.

The history of the question “trend or reality?” speaks clearly: certification is a reality that has definitively changed the office market, making it more sustainable and economically efficient.