The questions to ask before renting a serviced office

Before renting a serviced office, ask what the monthly fee includes, what’s charged separately, how long the agreement runs and how much notice you’ll need to give. Then look beyond the contract: how private the space feels, how your guests will be received, whether the connection is genuinely yours, and whose name is on the building. 

Most operators will answer the first set of questions readily. The second set is where the real differences show, and where the right office for your business tends to become clear. These are the questions we’d ask in your position, along with the answers we think you should expect. 

What does the monthly fee actually include?

“All-inclusive” can mean quite different things from one operator to the next. Ask for the full list in writing, and check that it covers business rates, utilities, security, cleaning, furniture, connectivity and reception, rather than assuming it does. 

With us, your monthly fee includes: 

• Business rates, utilities and security
• Cleaning throughout the day
• High-quality furniture, arranged in a layout of your choosing
• Your own secure private LAN, with dedicated bandwidth
• Professional receptionists and an experienced on-site team
• Mail handling
• Fresh coffee, tea and refreshments
• Use of our lounges and, where a building has them, its gardens and roof terraces

What will you pay for separately?

Even the most generous inclusive fee has its edges. Meeting rooms, additional bandwidth, printing, catering and IT support often sit outside it. None of this is unreasonable, but it’s worth knowing the rates before you set a budget.

Our meeting rooms are booked separately, with preferential rates for office clients. Printing, catering and courier bookings are arranged by the team as and when you need them. If your business needs more bandwidth, we can upgrade it the same day, and you pay only for the additional capacity.

How long is the agreement, and how much notice will you need to give?

Flexibility is one of the main reasons businesses choose a serviced office, yet terms vary considerably. Ask about the minimum term, the notice period and any deposit or retainer, so there are no surprises at either end of the agreement.

Our standard agreements run for 12 months, with a three-month notice period. We ask for a service retainer, usually equivalent to two months’ rent. If a different term would suit you better, our team will be happy to talk it through.

What happens if your team grows, or becomes smaller?

Your requirements a year from now may look quite different from today’s. Ask whether you can take on more space during the agreement, reduce it, or move to another building, and how that’s handled in practice. 

Our private offices accommodate teams of varying sizes, across more than 20 buildings in central London, so there’s often scope to adjust without starting again. Your dedicated account manager will work with you to find the right arrangement, whether that’s a larger office, a smaller one or a different neighbourhood. 

Is the connection yours, or shared?

For law firms and financial services businesses, connectivity is as much a question of confidentiality as speed. Ask whether bandwidth is dedicated or shared, whether you’ll have your own private network, and what happens if a line fails. 

Every company in our buildings has its own private VLAN, so your data traffic stays separate from everyone else’s. Bandwidth is dedicated rather than shared, starting at 50Mbps, and each building is served by two separate full-fibre lines on different routes, designed to reduce the risk of disruption if one connection fails. Our internet provider is SOC 2 compliant, and the network is penetration tested every year. You’ll find more detail on Argyll Tech. 

How private will your office feel day to day?

Ask who else works in the building, how the space is laid out, and where you’d take a confidential call. Privacy depends less on any single feature than on the character of the building and the discretion of the people who run it. On a viewing, sit in the space for a few minutes. You’ll learn more from that than from any brochure. During your viewing, check how sound travels between offices, who can access your space and whether there are private areas for confidential calls.

Our buildings range from Grade II listed townhouses in Mayfair to architectural statements in Kensington and Chelsea, such as Michelin House, and most have a calm, considered feel. Townhouses such as 84 Brook Street and Pall Mall have a particularly quiet, private character. Private video call booths give you somewhere discreet to step away to, and our teams understand that, for many of our clients, discretion matters as much as anything else.

Who will your guests meet first?

First impressions are formed at the front door. Ask who’s on reception, during which hours, and how visitors are welcomed and looked after. Ask, too, whether there’s an experienced team on site or simply a helpdesk. 

Our professional receptionists welcome you and your guests from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Thursday, and until 4.30pm on Fridays, and every building has its own on-site team. Over time, they get to know your regular visitors, how you like a room set up and what you’ll need before you think to ask. Outside reception hours, office clients have 24-hour access to their building. 

Whose name is on the building?

It’s a question few people think to ask. Some operators brand their buildings prominently, which means your clients arrive somewhere that’s plainly a rented office. Ask how visible the operator’s branding is in reception, in the shared spaces and on your door. 

We never brand our buildings as Argyll. Your clients arrive at a distinctive London address, with nothing to suggest it’s anyone’s but yours, so your business is always the focus. 

Does the address suit your clients and your team?

Location is partly about reputation and partly about the practicalities of every working day. Ask what the postcode says to the clients you want to win, and how easily your team and visitors can reach it. 

Our buildings sit in London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, from Mayfair and St James’s to the City, Holborn, Belgravia and Marylebone, all with excellent transport links. You can also use your office as your registered company address. Explore our locations to see which feels right for your business. 

Who are you renting from?

You’re trusting an operator with the place your clients will associate with you, so stability matters. Ask how long they’ve been running buildings, how they care for them, and what they’re investing in for the future.

We’ve been creating offices in London for more than 25 years, and we take a long view of every property in our collection. We’ll always keep you informed about our programme of small, regular improvements, and we continue to invest in new buildings, most recently with a £10m transformation of 33 Chancery Lane in Holborn.

Questions to ask, at a glance

Find the right office for your business

A good operator will welcome every one of these questions, and answer them plainly. If you’d like to put them to us, explore our serviced office in London options or speak to our team on 020 3008 8888. We’d be delighted to show you around.