Property market trends for 2026

South Africa’s property market in 2026 will be shaped less by expansion and more by resilience, adaptability, and risk management, according to Waldo Marcus, Director at TPN Credit Bureau. With residential rental shortages driving escalations of 4.5% to 5.5%, commercial rentals under pressure, and widening disparities between well-governed and poorly governed municipalities, Marcus argues that property values are increasingly determined by tenant quality, municipal functionality, and the ability of assets to adapt to infrastructure failures.