So, you’ve determined that a flexible office space is the best fit for your business. Now it’s time to get down to the specifics. Which office type and building is the right one?
During your office search, it’s easy to place too much weight on first impressions. A flex, serviced, or managed office that looks perfect during a viewing may not be suitable once you factor in future growth or the fine print.
To help, we’ve put together a quick guide on how to choose a private office, using a simple framework you can apply before, during and after viewings.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Define your office requirements before booking viewings, including headcount, location, budget and contract horizon. |
| Compare shortlisted offices against the same criteria rather than relying on first impressions. |
| Look at the total all-in cost and clarify what’s included before comparing prices. |
| Pressure-test the contract for notice, scalability, renewal and head-lease risk. |
| Use your walkthrough to verify how the office and management team perform in practice. |
Define your requirements before you shortlist
Before you get caught up in the rush of office viewings, it’s wise to spend a little time defining your office requirements. This will give you a clear brief to work from and make it much easier to compare shortlisted offices later on.
“An easy mistake to make when searching for an office is starting with the buildings rather than the brief. You see a great space, get excited about it and then start finding reasons why it could work. It’s much easier if you do that thinking upfront. Work out what your team actually needs, what you’re comfortable spending and where you can compromise. Then when you start viewing offices, you’ve got something useful to judge them against.” — Tushar Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder at Hubble
Headcount today, growth trajectory and team mix
First things first, start with your headcount. How many people need a desk today, and how likely is that to change over the next year or two?
Then, think about how your team uses the office. Some employees may be in every day, while others mainly come in to collaborate. Different roles often need different types of space, so understanding those patterns early will help you narrow your search.
Location, commute and client-facing needs
A good location is more than the postcode. Think about where your team is travelling from, how they’ll get there and whether clients or partners are likely to visit.
If people are commuting several days a week, convenience matters. And if your office is part of the client experience, the building and surrounding area should reflect that.
Budget envelope and contract horizon
Set your budget before you start comparing offices, then decide how long you’re comfortable committing for.
Think about how your office requirements could change over the life of the agreement and whether you’ll need the flexibility to grow, downsize or reconfigure your space.
Writing these requirements down gives you a consistent way to assess every office you view. It also makes it much easier to rule out options that don’t fit your business before you get too far into the search.
| Office Requirements Checklist |
|---|
| Current headcount |
| Expected growth |
| In-office days and team mix |
| Preferred location and commute |
| Budget |
| Contract horizon |
| Client-facing requirements |
How to evaluate shortlisted private offices
Once you’ve got a shortlist, the next step is to compare each office on a like-for-like basis.
Looking at every workspace through the same lens makes it much easier to spot which options genuinely fit your requirements and which only look good on paper.
Space and operational fit
Start with the private office itself. Check that there are enough desks for your current team, with sensible room for growth, without leaving you paying for large areas you are unlikely to use.
Then look at how the wider space supports a normal working day. Are there enough meeting rooms at the times you are likely to need them? Can people take private calls in phone booths without struggling to find one? Does the layout suit focused work, collaboration and movement around the office?
Pay attention to natural light and noise as well. A bright office may feel impressive during a short viewing, but nearby breakout areas, busy corridors or poor sound insulation can become distracting once the team moves in.
Pricing transparency and inclusions
Ask every operator for the same breakdown of costs. The headline figure may include the office, furniture, internet and business rates, while meeting room access, printing, additional IT support or after-hours use may be charged separately.
Check what is included as standard, what has a usage limit and what could increase during the agreement. Comparing the total all-in cost gives you a fairer basis for flex office selection and reduces the risk of unexpected charges later.
Amenities, building and management quality
Next, check how well the office is run. Reception, cleaning, IT support and security all affect the day-to-day experience, so ask who manages each service and how problems are handled.
Look at the wider building too. Shared areas should be well maintained, access should work for your team and visitors and the amenities should match the needs you set out in your brief.
And where sustainability matters to your business, check the building’s EPC rating rather than relying on broad environmental claims.
| Private Office Checklist |
|---|
| Does the space comfortably fit your current headcount? |
| Are meeting rooms and phone booths available when you’ll need them? |
| Do the layout, light and noise levels suit the way your team works? |
| Are the building, amenities and management up to standard? |
| Do you know what’s included in the headline price? |
| Have you established the total all-in cost? |
Contract and commercial terms to pressure-test
By this point, you might have found an office that feels right. Before you commit, make sure the agreement gives your business the same flexibility as the space itself.
First, know what you’re signing. A licence to occupy and a lease come with different rights and responsibilities, so confirm which applies to your office and what that means for your business.
Pay particular attention to the dates. How long is the initial term? When can you leave? How much notice do you need to give? It’s also worth knowing what happens at renewal, including whether the agreement rolls over automatically or whether the price can change.
Your plans might change before any of those dates arrive. If your headcount grows, find out whether you can add desks or move into a larger office in the same building. If it falls, understand whether there’s any scope to reduce your space—and what either change would mean for your existing terms.
Some of the most important details are easier to miss. An operator may have the right to relocate your team within the building, while exclusivity clauses can affect how the space is used. And if the operator doesn’t own the building, find out what happens to your agreement if their head lease comes to an end.
| Contract Pressure-Test Checklist |
|---|
| Licence to occupy or lease? |
| Initial term and notice period? |
| Can you add or remove desks? |
| What happens at renewal? |
| Does the operator have relocation or exclusivity rights? |
| What happens if the operator’s head lease ends? |
Validate the choice with a walkthrough
By the time you reach a walkthrough, you’ll already know how each private office compares on paper. The visit is your chance to see how those assumptions hold up in practice.
If possible, visit when the building is busy. You’ll get a much better feel for noise levels, how crowded the shared spaces become and the general atmosphere when people are actually working there. Pay attention to details that are hard to judge from a listing, too, such as cleanliness, security, building access, and how present the management team is.
Use the time with the operator to follow up on anything you couldn’t verify during your flex office selection. Ask how problems are handled once you’re an occupier and who you’ll deal with if something goes wrong. Their answers can tell you quite a lot about the level of support you’ll receive after moving in.
If you can speak to current occupiers, ask what the building is really like day to day. How responsive is the management team? Are shared facilities well maintained when the building is busy? Their experience can help confirm whether the office you’ve shortlisted lives up to what you’ve seen and been told.
Read 5 Things to Look Out for on Your Office Viewing
Making the final decision
By the end of your search, you’ll probably have a couple of strong contenders, each with different trade-offs. One might have the better location, while another offers more room to grow or more favourable contract terms.
Go back to your original brief and focus on the priorities that matter most. You might happily sacrifice some space for the right location, but be less willing to accept a notice period that could restrict your plans later.
To keep exploring, you can search private office space in London with Hubble or share your requirements with our free office consultancy to get a shortlist matched to your brief.
