FAQ
What’s a serviced office?
A serviced office is an office space where everything is included think of it like a holiday you traditionally space is your self-catering holiday, and a serviced office is your all-inclusive. Serviced offices give a greater degree of flexibility from shorter term contracts, to allowing you to grow within your term. Serviced offices are great for companies who are growing or looking to avoid long term commitments and heavy upfront costs.
Why choose a serviced office?
They’re all four main reasons to consider a serviced office.
- You need to occupy in under six months
- You want to commit for less than three years
- You do not want to tie up company capital in fit out agency fees legal fees and other upfront fees associated with taking a lease.
- Your company is growing, and you need a great a degree of flexibility without over committing.
How are your services free?
Our service is free to companies that inquire with us because we charge the buildings, we work with our fee is in line with the industry standard and does not affect the price you pay.
How can you assure me of the best deal?
As we work with all serviced office providers in the UK, we are able to benchmark against other competitors and ensure the best value is achieved every time. Buildings also a more inclined to negotiate with us as they know we will be presenting several options to you where others will be competing not just in terms of price but other elements which will support your business I.E meeting room facilities, event space, furniture options etc.
What do I need to consider when thinking about an office move?
There is a lot to consider when looking to move office which can be broken down into 5 categories.
- The business – location, size, time frames etc.
- Financial – the budgets
- Individual requirements – what do you need beyond your office space, phone booths, meeting rooms, breakout space, gym, roof terrace, pet friendly.
- Current processes – why are you leaving your current office, what works, what doesn’t?
- Future needs – what are the company plans over the next 12 months.
Then you need to prioritise what is most important and what you are willing to compromise on.
What’s included in a serviced office?
Serviced offices typically include rent, rates, service charge, furniture, building insurance, utility bills, cleaning, and refreshments. Some serviced offices offer more such as three meeting rooms and others may strip out certain elements depending on their facilities.
Who do you work with?
We work with all flexible office space providers in the UK from the well-known such as Regus, WeWork and Fora to some of the lesser known and more independent business centres such as Lenta, Office Space In Town and Colony.
When should I engage with your services?
You should use our services to help you save time and money when searching for office space. Our experts have decades of experience in the flexible office space market and can help prevent you wasting time looking at properties that are unsuitable based on your search criteria. We can also save you money by helping benchmark your preferred property against others in the area and ensuring that you’re achieving the best value every time.
What facilities can support the wellness of my staff?
Many offices have an array of facilities that can support Wellness in the workplace. These range from roof terraces and outdoor space to quiet working pods, on site gyms, relaxation areas and even pet friendly offices. These are just some of the facilities that can help support both physical and mental health in the workplace.
Where do you cover?
We specialise in the whole of the UK. We cover all the major cities including London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds & Cardiff. We have also supported with international offices.
Where else can I work from?
Depending on Which provider you decide is best for you, you are able to work from any of their locations either nationally or internationally and utilise their meeting rooms and breakout space.
What’s the difference between co-working and hotdesking?
Coworking refers to using areas where you are in an open plan environment with a fixed desk among many people from a variety of companies. Hot desk in is very similar however you not have a fixed desk often moving around and working in different parts of the building.
Is co-working and serviced office space the same thing?
Service offices often referred to as coworking although in our industry the terms mean different things. A coworking building or a service office building can provide both services. Coworking refers to working in an open plan environment mixing with people different businesses where serviced office refers to a private office space exclusive for the use of one company.
What is managed office space?
Managed office space is a term more frequently used when referring to larger or self-contained serviced offices. The reality is other than the size there is not much difference between a service office and a managed office space.
What is the maximum sized serviced office space?
There is no maximum size service office space you can take space for one person or 1000 people or more. Larger organisations such as Google Facebook and Amazon have in the past taken entire buildings on a service office basis.
Why are serviced offices called flexible office space?
Serviced office spaces offices where all the services are included, and you are looked after by a management team either remotely or on site a serviced office is a product within the flexible office space industry. A flexible office space refers to flexibility within the contract and the flexibility in the length of the contract.
How can serviced office space support hybrid working?
Serviced offices were designed to support hybrid working. The blend of private office space breakout areas and quiet working areas, such as meeting rooms and phone booths, meaning you only need to take as much office space as you need on a day-to-day basis and on the occasions where additional staff get together you can utilise the breakout space or meeting rooms on site.
Will I get a better deal if I go direct?
Not necessary often when you use a broker to find a serviced office space this will strengthen your hand in negotiations as buildings know that you have a variety of options and an expert guiding you through the process. This means they are more likely to present and more competitive offer both in terms of added value and financials.
Why use a broker?
A broker can give you access to properties you never knew existed. They will save you time by filtering out properties which aren’t suitable and recommending alternatives that help solve any issues you may be experiencing in your current office space. A broker will also help you to understand the market and look at where a building can support your team and save you money. In short, a broker can do all the leg work and help ensure the process is as smooth as possible.
What is the process?
Once you make an enquiry, one of our experts will speak to you in depth about your requirement and get to know your business. Understand all the things that support your team and your business. Then we will provide you with options specific to your needs, and talk you through each of the options, making recommendations on which ones you should visit. We will take care of organising all the viewings for you, and where possible attend with you. Then we will gather the proposals support your negotiations and help you secure your next office.
How long will the process take?
The process varies depending on your ability to progress and availability in the market. We have completed deals from enquiry to move in, in as little as 48 hours and spent as long as 12 months planning moves with people looking for office space. The average notice period in the market is 3 months so we recommend beginning your search 3/4 months in advanced and look to secure something within 4-6 weeks.
How do you support after we secure the office?
We will touch base and offer support with the move where needed. We will then touch base periodically to ensure you are happy and well looked after and remain on hand to help with any questions you may have.
Can you support project space?
We have supported many clients who need short term office space for projects or swing space. The flexible nature of the contracts makes it easy to upscale at short notice without lengthy commitments.
What happens if I need to expand or downsize?
With flexible office contracts you can upscale at any point, without having to extend your contract. Not only that you can move between buildings or even change city, if you remain with the same provider. You can also downsize, but this is much harder. Providers will place you on ‘early release’ and if they can find somebody to take on your space, they will allow you to downsize or even leave early. This is why we always recommend starting smaller and growing as you need to.
When should I consider taking my own dedicated meeting room?
Our recommendation is when you are using a room, at capacity, for more than 10 hours per week, then it would be more cost effective to have a permanent meeting room. If not then you should look to hire meeting rooms as anything more than 5 hours per week is considered high usage so you may be able to negotiate a deal on meeting rooms.
Can I customise my office?
YES! This is actively encouraged. You can add small personalisation’s such as rugs, painting walls or adding your logo or build meeting rooms and executive offices. If your building is pet friendly you may want to create an area for your four-legged friend!
How much office space do I need?
You should only look to take space for the number of people you have in the office on a daily basis. You can take extra space if you need a dedicated meeting room or want your own breakout space, but serviced office buildings offer these facilities so you don’t need to stretch your budget trying to fit everything in.
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