What to look for in a coworking space during viewings? Not anything to do with getting a deal – the financials, negotiations etc. But day-to-day practical things which you will definitely notice as you use the space.

This will be a product you will need to use for six months, a year, maybe more… so it’s worthwhile preparing a checklist of things to cover during each viewing and collating them afterwards to see how they stack up against one another.

Below is a list of considerations – and we have also put together a useful check-list sheet right at the end which you can print out and take with you on viewings to help you tally the scores later.

What to look for in a coworking space?

Team

Serviced offices should be about just that: service. In order to be comfortable about getting the best possible experience, you should understand the on-site team structure, who does what, and how easily you can speak with them if you need to. After all, these will be the people you go to most often if you have questions or if anything goes wrong:

– How strongly do you grade front-of-house / welcome?

– How big is the on-site building management team as a whole?

– Do people ‘muck-in’ or is there a clear division or responsibility for tasks?

– Is it actually easy to identify someone that works in the building team?

Community 

One of the biggest plus points of coworking is sharing a building with many diverse companies, giving you access to a community of businesses that could benefit your own. But just putting lots of firms in the same serviced office does not guarantee that they will interact with one another or that they will be compatible – there is an art to making community work:

– Does the customer mix in the building match my company goals?

– Is there a calendar of professional events that interest us?

– How strong is the social event calendar to bring tenants together?

– Is there a tenant app to help us interact with other businesses?

Space, Light & Air 

Flexible office space gives you an office which will house your desks, chairs and computers etc. but the rest of the building will be available for every tenant to use. How well thought-out and designed this is will make or break your experience as a tenant. Try to explore during different times of day, morning and lunch-times in particular.

– How crowded are the communal areas? Would I be able to grab a chair or sofa?

– Is there a sense of space overall or am I feeling cramped?

– Where does the light come from, how many sides? How large are the windows?

– Inhale and exhale… are you happy to breathe here day-in-day-out?

Aesthetics & Cleanliness 

You can have the most incredibly designed serviced office but if it’s covered in a thick layer of dust then it won’t do. Similarly, a fantastically maintained flexible office that sparkles can be much more pleasing even if it doesn’t have design-led bells and whistles. Paying close attention to both sides of this equation will pay dividends:

– Does the design of the space provoke an emotional reaction in you?

– How thorough is the daily cleaning & maintenance schedule?

– Peek into the toilets: would you be happy to use them?

– Kitchens and bins: is there lots of discarded stuff to be cleaned?

Functional Layout 

Sometimes we overlook the importance of design functionality when thinking about what to look for in a coworking space. The ease with which you interact with a space day-to-day will make living inside the building stress-free. The balance of different spaces and where they are in relation to one another can make the difference between an environment that supports, versus one that frustrates.

– How easy is it to actually get around the building? Does it make logical sense straight away?

– Is there a good balance between private space, communal space and open-air space?

– If I took this office, how far would I be from kitchens / toilets / meeting rooms?

– How easy is it to get from the outside to my potential office?

Technology 

Flexible office spaces should provide a solid tech backbone for your business to operate on. So it’s important to know how robust this actually is (in other words, is it good and does it work) and how readily-available the answers are.

– How much bandwidth goes into the building as a whole?

– How many broadband pipes support the building?

– Is there a connectivity up-time service guarantee?

– How does tech-support work and how do we access it?

Meeting Rooms & Phone Booths 

Unless you are building these inside your own space, it’s likely you will use meeting rooms and phone booths on an ad-hoc basis. This can be one of the most frustrating parts of interacting with coworking space, because of how popular these spaces have become. Finding out

– What is the ratio between number of people and number of phone booths?

– How good is the size selection of meeting rooms VS your normal needs?

– Balance between free meeting rooms (if any) and paid-for meeting rooms?

– How many meeting rooms / booths are free right now?

What to look for in a coworking space? Amenities 

Coworking has evolved to such an extent that many buildings boast a large range of additional facilities to boost your experience in the space. Matching these to your needs and the needs of your employees’ lifestyles will make for a more enriching office that encourages people to use and interact with it.

– Is there bike storage?

– Are there showers? How good are they?

– Is there a gym?

– Is there a roof terrace?

– Is there on-site parking?

– Other?

Below is the list in a handy tick-box format where you can grade each category from “good” to “bad” alongside a score of 1 to 5. Once you have finished with your round of viewings, tally up the scores for each coworking building and hopefully this will add value to your decision-making process when making a shortlist to open negotiations with.

Would you like to find a broker to help you with this process? Our unique directory can help.