Show Notes
For decades, holding a General Services Administration lease in your portfolio was the ultimate gold standard in commercial real estate—a recession-proof asset backed by the U.S. Government that offered bond-like stability. But as of March 2026, those assumptions are officially obsolete.
We are currently witnessing a total collapse in civil service morale, with federal employee engagement plummeting to an unprecedented 32 out of 100. Driven by political anxiety, massive turnover, and a loss of whistleblower protections, this disengaged workforce is simply no longer showing up to the physical office. This has created a massive spike in 'shadow vacancy'. The government is no longer paying for empty desks 'just in case'—in fact, under new 2026 rules, properties failing to maintain a 60% utilization rate are being actively marked for consolidation or sale.
The era of 'set it and forget it' federal investing is officially over. Moving forward, the only true 'safe havens' are mission-critical properties that cannot operate remotely, such as high-security SCIFs, government labs, and VA hospitals. The bottom line for investors is stark: if the people aren't showing up, the lease eventually won't either
