Confidence is slowly returning to the commercial property market on the back of reports from surveyors that the fall in tenant demand for offices and shops has started to slow.

Demand for commercial property still fell in the second quarter of 2009, according to a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on Monday, but the pace of decline slowed markedly. The net balances for new inquiries from tenants and confidence were the least negative since the downturn began late in 2007.