The Hidden Costs Behind Moving Office

So you’ve found the perfect space and been given a price – but what is that price not telling you? We spoke to Amanda Lim on the flexible office desk about the costs you can’t see.

Extra IT

• Typically, the cost we present to a client is all-inclusive (bar VAT) but there are specific requirements that come with extra costs and the most common of those is IT. Most of the providers we work with include a shared wifi line, but it’s likely you’ll be charged extra if you need something more than that – dedicated bandwidth, a BPM connection or server space.
• Some providers (usually executive offices) do include dedicated bandwidth. One example offers 1MB per person, so if you rent a 20-person office, you get a 20MB line for you and your team. But if you were to find you needed even more than that – because you’re a visual technology company, maybe – you’d need to pay the extra. So, some providers will charge for the full 100MB and some might just charge for the 80MB. Some providers won’t provide dedicated lines at all – if you want your own, you have to bring it in yourself.
• Some might require you to take server space in their server room, charged per unit or by the half rack. Everyone is different, but the main takeaway is this: if you know in advance you have specific IT requirements, let us know and we’ll help you factor them into your budget.

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The general rule is that within your four walls you can do whatever you like – paint the walls neon pink, put lights up, paint murals.

Amanda Lim

Head of Flexible Office Solutions

Phones

• This is rarely a concern because most of the people we place are switching to VOIP phones, but if you do need physical phone lines, it’s likely there’ll be a monthly cost. 

Meeting rooms

• Occasionally the cost presented includes meeting room credits, but most providers charge on a half-hourly or hourly basis, according to the size of the room. You usually get discounts on half- and full-day bookings and prices range from £15 to £150 an hour. 
• However, most of our clients have their own meeting rooms within their space. So, if you feel like your meeting frequency is high, make sure you’ve got enough rooms to yourself to avoid regularly having to pay for more. 
• When a credit system is in operation you get a certain number of credits per desk per month in a use-it-or-lose-it system. Where this exists our clients tend to find it’s ample, but if it isn’t, there is the option to buy more. The upshot is you need to understand how each provider does it and check that it works for you – we can help make sure you get this right.

Office fit-outs

• Smaller clients are usually happy to work open-plan, but larger ones often need private rooms within their space and have specific configurations in mind. This might mean they need to build a partition wall, which will cost. And keep this in mind: glass is always more expensive than stud partitioning – a surprise to everyone we tell. 

Branding

• There are exceptions, but the general rule is that within your four walls you can do whatever you like – paint the walls neon pink, put lights up, paint murals – as long as it complies with health and safety regulations.
• Anything outside of the four walls is a different story. Putting up a logo outside to let your clients know where you are tends to be a no-go, but might occasionally be possible at a cost. 
• Bear in mind that lots of providers will want you to use their contractors, too, which can mean paying more than you’d like to.