Find office space to rent - search offices to rent in the UK

Looking for an office to rent?

Office Genie maintains a national database of office space to rent by means of a conventional lease. Despite the increasing popularity of serviced office space and shared office space, a conventional lease space remains the most popular and the cheapest way to rent office space.

Office space for rent is available in all shapes and sizes, and they key is clearly for the prospective tenant to clearly define their needs and budget up front.

Considerations when looking for an office to rent

Size of office to let

A key question when choosing an office to rent will be how many people can you fit in the office? As a rough guide, allow 50 to 75 square feet per person. Office Genie does this step for you and tells you roughly how many people you can fit in an office based on 50 sq ft/person. Remember though that this is a very rough calculation - it doesn't take into account the fact that some space will be unusable for desks (e.g. corridors, kitchens), or that you can get more desks in with clever space planning.

Cost to rent office space

Office rental costs are generally quoted in price per square foot or price per square metre (per year). So, to work out the annual cost you simply take the price and multiply it by area. Then divide it by twelve for the monthly cost. Then divide it by your chosen area/person ration to calculate the cost per person. Office Genie does the cost/calculation for you based on 75 square feet per person, which allows you to compare the "by desk" cost directly with serviced office space and shared office space. Rented offices space generally looks quite cheap compared to serviced and shared space, but remember that there's other costs involved apart from the rent: legal fees and building management to name a couple.

Budgeting for office rental

It's vital to remember that there will be significant other costs when taking on a leased office, both one-off initial costs and ongoing running costs, including:

• Legal advice on commercial lease. Even for small offices to let with a straightforward lease (if there is such a thing), the minimum fee you'll pay a solicitor to advise on the lease is about £500.
• Furniture and decoration. You'll generally be moving into a shell, so obviously you'll need to budget to kit the place out.
• Building management. You'll need to pay for business services (utilities, broadband, and so on), and also building insurance.
• Dilapidations. You'll generally be asked to put the building back exactly as you found it when the lease ends. Beware that this can be extremely costly!

Commitment

Commercial leases have got shorter in recent years, but you'll still likely be asked for a commitment of at least three years for office rental. Make sure you're happy that this fits in with your business growth plan. If you're just starting out and don't fancy the commitment or don't have clear plans, then consider serviced offices or shared offices as a short to medium term alternative.

Commercial leases: office rental UK

If you've not taken on a commercial lease before, be aware that commercial leases are really very different to residential leases. As a commercial tenant you usually have complete responsibility for maintaining the building – for example if the roof needs replacing then you'll need to pay to replace it. It's vital that you take legal advice before you sign a lease for offices to rent, and continue to take advice and protect yourself as you manage and finally exit your tenancy.

How does conventional office rental compare to serviced or shared office space?

What leased office space gives you is greater control, and a greater ability to find something that particularly suits you. For example, if price is most important then you can probably save money by going for leased space (in return for a long-term commitment), or if décor is important then you get complete control over how your building looks and feels. Serviced and shared offices work out a little more expensive, but the plus side is that you don't have all the hassles of managing a building and the space is a bit more flexible - you don't give a long-term commitment.

What next in your search for offices to rent?

Use the office search above to compare a conventional office to let in London, Birmingham, Manchester and throughout the UK. Alternatively, use our main office space search to compare all types of office space in your area on a per-desk cost basis.