Innovative market intelligence tracks federal lease footprints – cancellations and potential cancellations across the U.S.

Chicago, IL –Global commercial real estate advisor, Avison Young, today introduces the Federal Property Pulse, innovative market intelligence designed to analyze federal leases and their impacts on markets across the U.S.

This intelligence will help landlords, developers, and investors assess federal exposure across properties and geographies, enabling critical, strategic, data-driven decisions by tracking lease footprints, cancellations, and potential risks related to federal tenancy.

“Avison Young’s Federal Property Pulse gives clients a clear view of federal lease activity, helping them make strategic, timely real estate decisions with up-to-date insights on risks, trends and opportunities,” said Harry Klaff, Principal and U.S. President, Avison Young. “This is game-changing innovation that brings data-driven clarity to investors with federal agencies in their buildings.”

What the Federal Property Pulse delivers:

• Market-level assessment – Identifies federal leases at risk of cancellation, whether in holdover or soft-term phases, or near-term lease expiration.
• Property identification – Highlights properties with federal government anchor tenants with leases in soft-term or approaching soft-term, or near-term lease expiration.
• Monitors lease cancellations by federal agency – Across geographies, provides insights into which agencies are impacted and aids investors with federal tenants in their buildings.

"Whether analyzing national trends or drilling down into specific submarkets, Avison Young’s Federal Property Pulse provides detailed tracking of lease cancellations by federal agency—an essential data point for landlords, developers, and investors seeking to evaluate risk, forecast occupancy shifts, and inform business decisions," said Grant Hayes, U.S. Multifamily & Client Data Solutions Lead.

Timely key findings:

• Over 90% of canceled GSA leases have either been in "soft-term", "holdover" or approaching soft-term in 2025.
• Nearly six million square feet (msf) of GSA leases have been terminated, representing a 3.4% reduction in the federal government’s leased space nationwide.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics experienced the largest cancellation of square footage with more than 845,000 square feet (sf) withdrawn from a single lease, while the Fish and Wildlife Service saw the highest number of lease cancellations – 33 in total – amounting to approximately 260,000 sf.