Common Questions About Our Serviced Offices
What is the main difference between a serviced office and a traditional rented office?
A serviced office provides a package including your room, access to meeting rooms and other facilities such as a reception, rest areas, kitchens and toilets, all costed on an inclusive basis. A traditional office requires you to provide all of these things for yourself.
Does this mean a price difference?
On the face of it serviced offices appear to be more expensive, but once you have taken a traditional rental and added in the extra space for ancillary areas plus business rates, heating & lighting, plus running costs and hidden extras such as legal fees, service charges, insurance and dilapidation charges the actual differential can evaporate.
Are access times restricted?
There can be restrictions, sometimes just because of health and safety considerations, but generally we provide you with keys and can accommodate you during all normal working hours and at weekends too if necessary. If you have even more special circumstances then we can usually deal with that by agreement.
What are the likely basic costs of a room?
The room rates vary between £250 per month to £750 per month + VAT; suites or a whole open plan floor can start at £1250 per month at Lace Market House or towards £1800 per month at our other locations. Check with us for a detailed price. This fee covers the room, business rates, heating & lighting, tea, coffee and filtered water and use of meeting rooms.
Are there other services available or other charges?
We have optional services such as photocopying (5p per sheet) or hire of our 40-seater hall, and other items on a bespoke basis, for example registering additional companies at the address at £50 per month. The majority of our clients though have no extra charges billed other than their normal comms so, for example, phones and broadband; for the latter the monthly cost is between £15 and £35 per person but only as required of course.
Can we change our minds?
Yes, in two ways: once your initial three month period is over you can serve one month's notice at any time thereafter and be free to leave after one full calendar month. If you want to change to a larger or smaller room we can organise that with you at any time and usually have you changed over by the start of the following month and your fee will be varied accordingly. We sort out your phones and internet internally or if you move out we allow your numbers to move with you subject to Ofcom guidelines.
Is the reception attended?
We are generally onsite at Lace Market House from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, but we tend to be doing things rather then sitting at the reception desk! The reception area is covered by CCTV and a bell is available to attract our attention. Visitors to your suite use a phone to call you directly so you know they are there, but we can help if you are not available, for example to accept mail or deliveries on your behalf. We are always on site to deal with anything that might go wrong: spills, maintenance, etc.
Are the buildings Disability Discrimination Act compliant?
Unfortunately not because of their age and, in some cases, listed status so major internal and external changes are not viable. We can sometimes help in individual circumstances, so for example we can accommodate a wheelchair user attending a meeting by using rooms or access doors that will allow that. We just need to know what help you might need in advance and we will tell you what is possible.
What does it require to get started?
Our offices are definitely "non-standard" so you need to view them and find one that fits in terms of suitability and budget. Once we have agreed terms and a start date we will issue a licence which gives a basic set of rules and guidelines and quotes all the figures. We need the equivalent of one month's fee as a deposit and the first month's fee in advance. We then invoice you monthly and you pay us prior to the start of each calendar month. We are used to dealing with small and start up businesses so usually do not require detailed background checks or formal credit checking.
What rooms are currently available?
The situation can change from week to week so it is best to call us for an indication of availability. For speed we sometimes log new rooms on Gumtree first before doing any additional marketing. We never hunt down new clients or bug people who call us, though. We believe that if something fits then people will call us, we are too busy to give anyone the hard sell after they make an enquiry!
