Key takeaways
- IT-Label translates the IT infrastructure present in a building into an understandable digital delivery level.
- The methodology does not pass judgment on a building, but makes its digital quality transparent for all parties involved.
- Thanks to the system behind the IT-label, landlords, tenants and advisors can speak the same language about digital building quality.
- The classification runs from IT5 SHELL to IT1+ PREMIUM and makes differences between properties comparable.
- The IT-label is not a certification with legal status, but an independent classification methodology from a knowledge collective.
In real estate transactions, almost everything is recorded in unambiguous terms. Floor area follows a standard, year of construction is fixed and the energy label is readable for everyone. For the digital quality of a building, such a shared language was missing for a long time. One party spoke about fiber, another about network redundancy and a third about cabling, without it becoming clear what was actually present.
IT-Label was established to fill that gap. It is an independent knowledge collective that translates the IT infrastructure present in commercial real estate into an understandable digital delivery level. The goal is not to judge, but to clarify. This allows parties with different backgrounds to mean the same thing when they talk about a building.
Why a shared language was missing
Anyone renting or buying a property rarely gets a clear picture of the digital infrastructure. The information is fragmented, technically formulated and often not comparable between two properties. In practice, parties notice that everyone speaks a different IT language in real estate, which leads to misunderstandings and surprises after delivery.
The energy label demonstrated that a technical subject can be made accessible through an unambiguous classification. IT-Label follows the same idea for digital quality. It translates the facilities present into a level that anyone can read, regardless of technical knowledge.
What the IT-label translates
The methodology looks at the concrete infrastructure in a building. Think of the presence of fixed connections, the setup of the cabling and the extent to which there are multiple independent connections. Each of these components contributes to how a building functions for modern applications.
- The presence and quality of fiber optics in the building and the connection to the wider network.
- The degree of network redundancy, where a second connection takes over if the first one fails.
- The coverage and capacity of wireless facilities within the building.
- The space and preparation for future expansion of the infrastructure.
The result is a classification that brings these components together into one level. That level does not state whether a building is good or bad, but describes what is present and what a tenant or owner can expect from it.
As long as no one means the same thing by digital quality, the most expensive component of a building remains invisible in every negotiation.
The classification from SHELL to PREMIUM
The IT-Label classification runs in six steps. On one end stands IT5 SHELL, where no digital infrastructure has yet been installed. On the other end stands IT1+ PREMIUM, where the infrastructure is prepared for demanding, AI-driven applications.
Between these extremes lie the levels IT4 CORE, IT3 READY, IT2 PLUG & PLAY and IT1 HIGH PERFORMANCE. Each level describes a different degree of readiness. A shell space without facilities logically falls lower in the sequence than a property that is immediately usable for intensive data use.
What a level means in practice
For a tenant, it makes a difference whether a space is move-in ready or whether a complete infrastructure still needs to be installed. The level provides clarity on this in advance. This way, a party knows which investments are still needed and which facilities are already present.
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A shared language changes the conversation between parties. A landlord can include the level in the communication about a property, a tenant can compare properties with each other and an advisor can factor it into their considerations. This makes digital quality an explicit part of the transaction instead of an unknown factor.
For property owners, this offers the opportunity to make the digital quality of their property transparent. What this means for the value of real estate depends on the market, but transparency in any case helps make differences visible. Advisors also notice that a complete picture requires attention to the infrastructure, as described in the article about real estate agents looking beyond square meters.
Independent and without judgment
It is important that the IT-label is not a certification with legal status. It is a classification methodology maintained by an independent knowledge collective. The label does not pass a value judgment on a building, but objectively describes what the digital infrastructure comprises at that moment.
That neutrality is deliberate. A lower level does not mean a building is unsuitable, but that certain facilities are still missing or still need to be installed. For one party, that is exactly what suits their use, for another it is a reason to invest. The label provides the information, the consideration remains with the parties themselves.
A concrete next step
If you want to know what the system means for your situation, start with the explanation of how the IT-label works. It describes how the assessment proceeds and how the levels come about. If you are considering the label for a specific type of property, the page for property owners offers a good starting point for translating this to your own real estate.
