When it comes to leasing an office there are a few options to choose from. It’s helpful to know the pros and cons of each before making a decision for your business. The four main options are shared office space, direct lease, office suite, and sublease space. In this series of blog posts we’ll discuss each one. First up is the shared office.

Examples of Great Shared Office Space on Rofo:

The Shared Office:
This occurs when a company has extra office space and leases it to one or multiple businesses. It’s possible to rent anything from single cubicle space to multiple offices depending on how much space the company doing the sharing has. A shared office is usually “Plug and Play”, so everything you need to start working is already there (furniture, internet, etc.), you just have to show up and plug in.

Each shared office is slightly different because the sharing companies usually have a different idea of how they want to structure the rental agreement. Make sure you ask about access to amenities and what is included in the rent. Sometimes companies can be very generous about sharing their amenities like conference rooms and Monday morning bagels, other times not so much.

It’s also beneficial to share with a company in a similar or related field. Just like with roommates in real life it may help your compatibility while working in the same space if you work in similar fields. For instance, if you are financial consultant and wear a suit and tie to work everyday you may not want to share an office with a laid back non-profit full of hipsters.

Finding a suitable shared office is challenging, but Rofo is here to help. New shared office spaces show up on Rofo periodically, so search around. The Rofo team is very conscious of the office space listing churn on the site, so feel free to contact us and we can send you some ideas. It’s also beneficial to reach out to your social networks via things like Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter because many companies may not immediately list space they are willing to lease. In today’s uncertain economic conditions this unused space is becoming more common, it’s a phenomenon referred to as “shadow space” in commercial real estate. You can also post a space need for shared space on Rofo and see if anyone sends you an idea.