One building or a network: choosing an office operator

When you choose a serviced office, you may be comparing a provider with one building against an operator with centres in several cities. The useful question is how each proposal would serve your team: where you could work, what support you would get and what you would be committing to.

The size of an operator’s portfolio tells you nothing certain about the quality of a particular building or how flexible its agreement is. Judge the specific space, the service schedule and the written proposal.

Assess a single building on its merits

A single-site operator runs one location. A provider with a handful of buildings is better described as a small-portfolio operator, even if it focuses on one city.

For either, ask who manages the building, who handles service requests and how to escalate a problem. Confirm reception hours and what happens outside them. If response times matter to your business, ask what the provider will commit to in writing.

If you want changes to the space, ask for a written proposal covering the work, approvals, cost and completion date. Don’t assume a smaller operator can approve a layout change or contribute to it straight away.

Useful questions:

• Who will handle our day-to-day service requests?
• What furniture and layout are included in this proposal?
• Can we make the changes we need, and who has to approve them?
• What happens if we need more or fewer desks during the agreement?

Check what network access actually means

An operator with several locations may offer access beyond your main office. Check what the exact product you’re considering includes: a membership, a private office agreement and a meeting-room booking can carry different rights.

Ask which locations are included, who can use them and whether you need to book ahead. Confirm any limits on days, hours or room credits, and what costs extra. Access to a shared lounge elsewhere is not a promise of a private office elsewhere.

Also check whether moving your main office to another of their buildings would need a new agreement, a new term or extra payments. Using another building now and then is a different thing from being able to transfer your contracted office.

Compare service at the proposed location

Visit the office your team would actually use. Consider noise, natural light, meeting rooms, how visitors are handled and accessibility. Ask to see the suite you’ve been quoted for, or have any differences from the one you’re shown spelled out.

Ask every provider the same service questions. A well-known brand doesn’t remove the need to check local arrangements, and a single-building operator doesn’t guarantee more attention.

If client visits matter, judge that building’s presentation and the practical experience: how visitors arrive, where they wait and whether you can book a suitable meeting room when you need one.

Compare costs and commitments the same way

Ask for a written breakdown of the office fee, what’s included and what you’d pay for extra use. Build an estimate around how your team will really use the space, including meeting rooms, connectivity, parking or storage where relevant. Our serviced office costs guide lists what is usually included and what usually costs extra.

Keep recurring costs separate from refundable deposits and fees paid in advance. Those affect how much cash you need up front, but they aren’t extra monthly costs.

Compare the term, notice period, renewal terms and any planned price increases. If you need the option to leave, resize or move, ask for the conditions and costs to be written into the agreement. “Flexible” in a brochure is not a contractual right. Our contracts guide explains what a serviced office licence usually contains.

Match the arrangement to how you work

For a team based in one city, start with whether the everyday office suits you. If people travel, estimate how often they’d use other locations and compare the membership or booking options for that.

A team spread across cities can compare a network agreement with separate deals from local providers. Compare the locations available, the admin of booking and the total commitment in each case.

For a growing team, work out when the proposed space would stop meeting your needs. Ask what the provider could offer then, and tell apart a contractual option from a conversation about future availability.

Write a brief before asking for proposals

Write down your headcount now and expected changes, where people work, the facilities you can’t do without, your budget and the term you want. Every operator then answers the same brief, and their responses are easier to compare.

If you use an adviser, ask how they are paid and which providers they considered. Offices.co.uk is paid a commission by the operator when a client we introduce moves in; you don’t pay us.

Send us your brief and we’ll come back with options to compare.