10 Alternatives To An Office Rental In London

Looking for a way to operate professionally without paying for an office rental in London? Don’t worry, there are lots of amazing options for you to choose from so you can run your business conveniently, and at a pinch of the price of a full office rental contract in the capital. To help you, here are 10 alternatives to an office rental in London:

1.  Self Storage

Self storage in London is an amazing alternative to a standard London office rental. It comes with so many benefits that make it obvious why so many businesses are already opting to use self storage instead of a permanent office rental in the capital. Here are just some of the reasons self storage is a great choice for business space:

• Some facilities have WIFI and other handy business services
• Rates are affordable
• Contracts are flexible
• Usually no need to pay business rates
• Fees are tax deductible
• Often easy to switch between unit sizes
• Sense of community
• Extra business services often available, like reception taking deliveries for you
• Often 24/7 access to units
• Units as small as a gym locker, as big as a football field

There is plenty of self storage in London to choose from if you want to benefit from clean, convenient and flexible space to use as you need to for your business.

2.  A Home Office

A home office is a great alternative to renting an office space in London. It is cheaper, you have a pretty amazing commute from your bedroom to the office, and you get more work/ life balance overall. Why not utilise affordable self storage to store the contents of your spare room whilst you turn it into a beautiful home office – just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a stunning, ergonomic office to work from.

3.  Hot Desking

Hot desking is a coworking opportunity that is easily accessed in London. You pay an hourly rate, or a rate for the day, and then pick a free desk and work from it. These kinds of places will often also have free refreshments, breakout spaces and even access to additional facilities like an onsite gym for a nominal fee. Hot desking is the perfect solution if you just want any desk to work on whenever you feel like it.

4.  Permanent Desk Rental

You can rent a desk in a hot desking space so that you don’t have to always put down and pick up all your stuff every time you go into work. You still share the space with like-minded individuals, but you pay a certain amount to always have a certain desk there and available to use. This kind of arrangement gives a sense of permanence and can be a motivator for some people to ‘go out’ and work.

5.  Single Office Rental

A single office rental is where you rent one office in a shared building or floor of offices. This is the kind of arrangement where you see lots of businesses listed on the door of a building. Some people like to rent a single office because it can be cost effective, and it means there is room for more than one person to work. It also usually offers you the chance to have a business address, and even somewhere to have clients come in for a meeting.

6.  Virtual Offices

For ecommerce businesses who may hold their stock in London self storage, or other businesses where most of the operations are based online, virtual offices can be a great idea. They usually provide you with a business address, virtual reception services and often also provide access to meeting rooms as and when you need them.

7.  A Friends Garage/ Spare Room

It may sound a little bit cheeky, but many people do have spare space you could use for business purposes. Maybe it is a summerhouse, or a converted garage, or even a spare room or conservatory. It is a good idea to offer some money to your friend or family member for doing this to cover electricity and other utilities. You would also have to establish ground rules, and perhaps agree on how long the arrangement will last. A lot of trust is involved so do tread carefully – but if you do know someone with a spare space you think you could use, it could be worth a conversation.

8.  A Serviced Office

Serviced offices are a fully furnished work space you can walk into and use as per the agreed contract terms. As part of a serviced office service you get access to printers, communal spaces, internet connections and meeting rooms, and everything is setup to use. You can often rent out the office for anything from a day to months, depending on your needs. It’s a flexible, ready-to-go office to use.

9.  A Van

Some people enjoy working in a van, which is usually a camper van or a converted van that has enough space to sit down and work. It doesn’t even need to have a table and a seat – it could just have a cushion and a fold out lap table. The key is having a way to connect to the internet, and a way to charge the devices you have. If you can make it work, you can drive out of London for the day and park somewhere with a view where you can work on your business, make a coffee with a Camping Gaz and kick back.

10. Coffee Shops

Coffee shops are an ideal way to work on your business away from the sofa at home, and without paying through the nose for an office space. Do choose a coffee shop that is part of a larger company as independents won’t appreciate you sitting there for hours working after buying one coffee. Try to buy a new refreshment every hour or so, and figure out when the quietest times are so you can get a seat. Lastly, choose somewhere with a power supply if you plan to be there all day. Many larger coffee shops have charging points you can use without having to pay an extra charge.

Hopefully, one or more of the above options will help you get the perfect alternative to an office rental in London, so you can enjoy a convenient, affordable working situation that helps your business grow from strength to strength in this challenging economy.