When you ask a co-working or serviced office operator for a quote, you will usually get a single number: a price per seat, per month. It looks simple, but two quotes with the same headline price can end up costing very different amounts. Here is how to read them.
How flexible workspace is priced
- Hot desk: priced per person, per month or per day, for any available seat.
- Dedicated desk: priced per seat, per month, for a fixed desk.
- Private cabin: priced per cabin or per seat, per month, for a lockable room.
- Managed office: priced per seat or per square foot for a whole floor designed for you.
What is usually included
- Furnished desk and chair
- Rent and building maintenance
- Electricity and power backup
- Shared internet
- Housekeeping and security
- Pantry with tea and coffee
- Access to common areas
What is often charged extra
- Meeting room hours beyond your monthly credits
- Printing and scanning
- Car and two-wheeler parking
- Dedicated internet lines or static IP
- Access outside standard hours
- Branding, custom furniture or IT setup
- Security deposit, usually a number of months of rent held until you exit
- GST on the monthly fee
How to compare quotes fairly
- Ask each operator for an all-in monthly cost for your exact team size, including GST and parking.
- Compare the lock-in, notice period and annual escalation, not just the monthly price.
- Check the ratio of seats to meeting rooms. A cheap seat is not cheap if your team cannot find a room.
- Visit at a busy time of day to see how crowded the space really is.
Listing a workspace?
If you operate a centre, list your prices clearly as “Per Seat / Month” or “Per Cabin / Month” so businesses can compare quickly. On Signature Properties you can set the price unit for each listing.
Looking for space? Explore serviced offices and co-working options or send us your brief.
