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7 things to lookout for when hunting for a new office space

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Workafella in Blog

Before you begin on this arduous journey from finding the location for your office to fine tooth combing the actual facilities of a fully furnished private office, stop to consider these key factors.

1. Location – Ok so you want office space. Where? In the downtown business center with flashy furnishing? Or a nook in any corner of the city? The nearer your office is to the business center the more the rent. Generally take a look at your clients. If your clients are mostly from IT industry, even a small office in the IT park will get you more business. Accessibility and vicinity to clients are important points to consider here.

2. Right size – An open office system with beanbags and cushioned couches maybe the best idea for a fully furnished office but can you afford this? A few small cubicles will occupy far lesser space. Money spent on unused walking spaces can be used elsewhere in business, especially during the early stages.

3. The image – Your office space is a fantastic branding tool and hence must reflect the style and image of your industry and work culture. Pop singers with their hair down may not be the right wall art everywhere. The image brings us two very important and often confused points. Fully serviced and fully furnished office spaces. One is service and the other is infrastructure. Let’s consider them

4. Fully furnished – This is the most important factor as you and your team will work in the accepted infrastructure everyday. This includes cabling, suitable light  fixtures and power points, furniture, air conditioning, internet access and most important of all providing the customized office space in the business centre.

5. Fully serviced – These include all the amenities provided apart from the infrastructure. These ranges from providing photocopy and fax machines and the ability to book conference rooms managed by the serviced office operators to kitchen, pantry services, food options, transportation, security, high speed internet, quality of bathrooms or even the number of electrical outlets can be differentiators between two similar space alternatives.

6. Flexibility – A friendly and approachable workspace provider in a blessing. Allowance for flexibility is a key factor, as your office space requirements will change as you grow. A flexible option in your lease agreement that entails your expansion of space to meet your business growth is important. Another important factor is the flexibility in timing. Your clientele may range from Australia to North America and all the time zones in between and you may require an office that allows you to come and go at all times.

7. Hidden costs – Many workspace providers may offer bare bone offices at low prices and add piecemeal prices for every amenity. Wear your magnifying glass while going through the lease agreement and look for these hidden costs. They may include extra for common facilities, maintenance charges, virtual office address, anything. It is advisable to rent space with providers who offer the fully furnished and fully serviced offices with no hidden costs.

Finally, a parting advice: This office space is yours. Look for what is important to you. Prioritize your needs. You may want a space in the middle of the business center and will settle for a desk and chair. You may want to be part of a large coworking area to network with others and build your business. You may want a large space in the middle of nowhere to build your alien-attacking robot. Choose well.