White Paper: From Brown Discounts to Digital Premiums

When digital basics fail in a building, deals slow down. Confidence drops during viewings, move-ins become harder, and renewal conversations get more difficult. Weak connectivity creates friction for occupiers and risk for owners. It can lead to more incentives, longer voids, reputational drag and a weaker leasing story.

The reverse is also true. Buildings with strong digital foundations are easier to let, easier to run and easier to defend in valuation and lender discussions. Our white paper sets out how recognised digital certification, resilient connectivity and better governance can help remove doubt and support stronger commercial outcomes.

Current market evidence points in the same direction. Buildings with recognised digital certification have been linked with rental premiums and lower vacancy in London offices, while occupiers continue to place a high value on reliability, speed and ease of use. Digital infrastructure is no longer a nice-to-have. It is part of the building’s core utility offer.

• Digital infrastructure now affects income certainty, vacancy risk and operational resilience
• Connectivity is increasingly checked during leasing and due diligence
• Strong digital foundations help buildings support modern work from day one
• Good digital includes resilience, not just speed
• Clear proof matters, which is why certification and documentation are so important
• Older buildings without reliable digital infrastructure face a growing risk of underperformance
• AI-enabled building operations, digital twins and smart systems are raising the standard for what occupiers and investors expect

Our paper argues that digital should be treated as a fifth utility. In practice, that means commercial properties should have two independent ways for fibre to enter the building; protected and labelled risers; well-managed telecoms rooms; sensible power and cooling standards; clear landlord and tenant demarcation points; Wi-Fi designed for busy spaces; dependable in-building mobile coverage; and secure separation between tenant and building systems.

These are not abstract ideals. They are the basics that reduce friction in leasing, improve occupier confidence, simplify operations and make it easier to show that a building can support modern work reliably.

From Brown Discounts to Digital Premiums was researched and written by Charlie Trumpess, marketing manager at Modern Networks, and Geraint Williams, CISO at Modern Networks.

Geraint Williams is Chief Information Security Officer at Modern Networks and a seasoned cybersecurity specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in digital risk, ethical hacking and information security. Since joining Modern Networks in 2021, he has led the company’s strategic response to emerging cyber threats across the UK commercial property sector.

Previously, Geraint held senior roles at GRCI Group and IT Governance, where he helped develop CREST-accredited penetration testing services and led PCI DSS and Cyber Essentials assessments. He is also an experienced academic, published author and conference speaker, with expertise spanning digital forensics, cybersecurity, compliance and digital resilience in the built environment.

Charlie Trumpess is an experienced marketing professional with 30 years’ industry experience. He holds a CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and is a CIM Chartered Marketer.

Charlie also holds a master’s degree from the University of Buckingham and is a published author. His professional background combines strategic marketing expertise with strong communications, brand and content experience.

The paper draws on market evidence, sector analysis and Modern Networks’ own proprietary research software to examine how resilient connectivity, digital infrastructure, security, certification and smart building readiness are shaping outcomes in UK commercial property.