Thought
The GRESB Portal Is Open – Secure This Year’s Score and Build Next Year’s Edge
Inbox alerts are flying, spreadsheets are growing – the GRESB portal finally opened in April. Right now, most teams are in “just-get-it-done” mode: pulling utility bills, nudging property managers, and wrestling with tenant data. It’s hectic, but it’s also the moment when cracks in the process start to show.
If you’re feeling the strain, you’re not alone. Even seasoned funds can end up discovering missing invoices or unclear boundaries between landlord and tenant meters. Some realise – too late – that waste contractors in one country classify recyclables in a different format, or that consumption data wasn’t tracked properly in a newly acquired building.
The good news? While you push this year’s numbers across the finish line, you can lay the groundwork that turns next year’s submission into a routine upload rather than a white-knuckle sprint.
Tomorrow’s Advantage: Fix the Gaps Early
Once the portal closes, many teams breathe a sigh of relief – and then forget about GRESB until the next reminder email lands. That twelve month pause is exactly where scores slide. Instead, real asset investors should tackle gaps while they’re fresh in everyone’s mind.
We asked some seasoned GRESB experts at EVORA about their recommendations to prepare for reporting season – here’s what they had to say:
Megan Hall, Sustainability Consultant at EVORA:
“Starting as early as possible and creating a clear plan and timeline to allow sufficient time for all elements of the submission is crucial. Make sure you understand any new guidelines as soon as they’re released, and assess their impact to decide whether action is needed. In terms of the management section, it’s really beneficial to work on this throughout the reporting year, reviewing questions and collating any updated pieces of evidence as it is produced so that once the portal opens the section can be completed quickly.
In relation to data, it’s important to have a clear plan for utility data collection, carrying this out quarterly helps ease the time pressure and provides ample time for data verification, increasing the data quality. Quarterly data collection also gives you more time to work on areas where data collection is more challenging providing a longer timeframe to find a solution.”
Jamie Anderson, Sustainability Consultant at EVORA:
“It’s easy to think GRESB starts in April because that’s when the portal opens. But there’s a lot that can be done before then. Which means that when the portal does open you can hit the ground running. Waiting until April means you’re going to require the whole three months, and can result in running right up to the end of the June deadline.”
Small moves made early are far cheaper than emergency fixes two weeks before deadline, and it leads to positive outcomes beyond the final GRESB score.
Move Past the Rear-View Mirror and Show GRESB Your Road Ahead
One of the most notable changes in GRESB’s approach over the years is the addition of forward-looking, strategic criteria alongside to a historical, performance-based focus. Before, GRESB only judged you on last year’s stats – now it asks a new question: where are you headed?
GRESB increasingly emphasises proactive strategies – with a focus on setting clear targets and adopting measures to address the long-term challenges of climate change. This includes integrating climate risk mitigation, resilience strategies, and specific sustainability goals, like achieving net-zero emissions, into the overall reporting framework.
Lay out how you’ll manage climate risks, boost resilience, and steer assets to net‑zero, and the benchmark rewards you for thinking ahead.
“This shift reflects a broader industry trend towards not only measuring past performance but also evaluating how organisations are planning and acting to mitigate future risks and create long-term sustainable value. The forward-looking approach also aligns with the requirements of regulations like TCFD, which calls for companies to disclose how they are preparing for the physical, transition, and liability risks associated with climate change.
Similarly, the EU Taxonomy and the CSRD have strengthened the demand for companies to set measurable targets and demonstrate progress towards sustainability goals. One may say that GRESB’s evolution reflects a significant shift towards more comprehensive, resilience- and future-oriented ESG reporting.”, says Verena Luecking, Managing Consultant at EVORA.
The EVORA Offering
Whether you need a quick sanity check or a full overhaul, we slot in where you need a hand by providing a variety of GRESB packages:
GRESB Gap Analysis – A comprehensive review of your asset/fund’s current position against GRESB survey requirements, helping you identify and implement targeted improvements for both Management and Performance components.
GRESB Performance Reporting Support – Use of our data management platform, SIERA, to aggregate and validate your GRESB data, with EVORA’s expert review to optimise your score.
GRESB Full Reporting Support – A comprehensive submission support program, covering materiality assessment, data collection, GRESB portal upload, results review, and an improvement roadmap presentation.
With the help from our experienced consulting team, your score rises because the buildings truly run better, not just because the data looks tidy (though we can help with that too).
What Should You Do Today?
While you’re finishing the submission for this year, there are a few practical steps you can take to set yourself up for success the next year GRESB season starts:
- Make a “pain list”. Every hurdle you hit in the process goes on paper so you can simplify processes in time for next year.
- Book a gap review with one of our experts. We can help you sort the list into easy wins and longer projects.
- Set the first follow-up this summer. Keep momentum and start planning for GRESB 2026 while memories are still fresh.
One last question: When an investor asks in December how you’ll climb the star table, will you have a clear answer – or just hope the spreadsheet holds? Let’s make sure it’s the former.
Reach out now, lock in support for the upcoming months, and set yourself up for a smooth reporting process next year.
