The Future is Flex: A Guide to Choosing Shared Office Space in London
June 25, 2025 7 Minute Read
Five years after the UK’s first lockdown, London is buzzing with life again. Like many of the world’s leading business centres, London’s transport network, cafes and restaurants are teaming, and with 95% of commuters recognising the benefits of more ‘facetime’ with the people within their companies[1], this is set to continue. Employers increasingly want their staff to be onsite, but with hybrid working set to stay, companies’ offices are rarely at full capacity, so they’re paying for unoccupied desks in prime locations. With London desk space at a premium, it’s little wonder that more companies than ever are realising the upsides of coworking spaces.
What is a shared office?
Once dominated by tech firms and start-ups, businesses of all sizes and sectors are going flexible. Improved technology and security, proximity to some of the world’s most credible business addresses as well as the quality and community within these offices mean that coworking space is hot property in London and other core business locations.
A shared office is a flexible workspace model through which companies share office space and desks within the same building or floor. These coworking spaces offer everything a business needs, from access to hot desking facilities, meeting rooms and temporary spaces to fully fitted private offices and entire branded floors.
Coworking memberships in London have soared over recent years as shared office spaces have become trusted by the world’s most esteemed companies. Coworking members range from fledgling companies to global corporations, who cite a number of factors that make up the perfect coworking space. These include business address, shorter lease and payment terms and access to shared office resources such as private meeting rooms, hot desks, breakout areas, telephone answering and concierge services.
The beauty of flex is that no one size fits all – there are coworking options for every type of company and culture. Coworking spaces have massively evolved since they made an appearance in London and the world’s other leading business locations thirty years ago. In doing so, they have attracted established, big-name businesses looking for flexible workspaces with a credible business address, and a sense of community and personality.
What types of shared offices are there?
Coworking spaces
Coworking spaces are designed with a focus on community, collaboration and many engender something of a family environment. Many coworking offices offer membership plans with facilities that range from hot desks (first-come, first-served seating), and give companies access to private meeting rooms, dedicated coworking desks or private offices for teams, all in prime business locations.
A favourite amongst freelancers, start-up companies and remote workers, coworking spaces typically have communal areas and host free business and community events such as workshops, panels and social gatherings. These aim to support professional growth and networking, engender collaboration and thriving communities with often a family-like culture. Access to hotdesking facilities gives coworking members something of a cross-company community while dedicated desks and private areas support collaboration between teams on a more informal basis than a traditional office.
Serviced offices
Fully serviced offices offer the best of both worlds: a more traditional professional setting with a plug-and-play arrangement, typically in esteemed corporate locations. These fully furnished spaces give companies essentials such as reception support, telephone answering, mail handling and utilities factored into an all-inclusive pricing model. Fully serviced offices are particularly appealing to companies seeking a quick, hassle-free setup, and a polished working environment with optimal desks in a good location with minimal overheads. Workspaces are designed to support collaboration between teams, with open plan desk arrangements, while phone booths and meeting rooms offer privacy when needed.
The perfect coworking space
Sharing office space is about more than saving money – the flex office solutions model, whether coworking or serviced workspaces, offers the perfect set up for companies adjusting to the post-pandemic way of working, typically within enticing London locations for clients and employees alike.
1. Cost effective
With office space sharing, companies only pay for the desks they use. Coworking not only suits hybrid teams who often use virtual offices at home so don’t need a desk every day, but with many utilities, cleaning and reception services included, overheads in coworking spaces will not only be lower but predictable.
2. Flexibility
No business wants to stand still, but growth does not come easy. Relocating to accommodate an expanding work force can be time-consuming, unsettling and costly. Shared offices and coworking spaces are ideal for companies in transition, whether they are scaling up, entering a new market or require temporary office space and desks during renovations, without the need to commit to long-term leases.
3. Location, location, location
Shared workspaces are widely available in London’s key business locations, so transport, customers and peers are in easy reach. While demand for quality coworking options is high in London, make sure you’re in the right area for your business and the sector you operate in. Many coworking or shared offices offer month-to-month contracts or temporary office space so you can stay in the best area for your business and pay for more desks or rooms as it develops.
4. Amenities
Modern shared office spaces offer far more than hot desking and chairs. Think high-speed Wi-Fi, wellness rooms, fitness studios and phone booths for virtual meetings. In a world where some staff may need enticing into the office, coworking features make for a more comfortable, convenient and engaging work environment. And the benefits of coworking spaces go beyond fixtures and fittings: they offer a true sense of community that can engender collaboration and company culture.
5. Sustainability
Companies are increasingly scrutinised on their sustainable practices and environmental impact. Shared office space is fitted and ready to go, so members can reduce construction waste and lower their carbon footprint. Many shared office and coworking space providers have bought into ‘hub and spoke’ strategies, where companies pay to have access to a core location – the ‘hub’ – and a series of ‘spokes’ to various locations. This not only helps employees to save on travel time but mitigate their own impact on the environment in the process.
6. Curb appeal
As businesses mature, they can easily outgrow their office space and the desks within it. This often goes beyond capacity itself: changing businesses often need spaces in desirable locations that better reflect their brand and appeal to clients as well as employees. Look for a provider who will be with your business from start-up to growth, so they have the right space and sufficient desks for every stage of your journey – whether you have secured funding, are post-acquisition or growing organically.
7. Smart solutions
Flexible working doesn’t stop in London: a growing number of businesses use ‘flex-aggregator’ software to map out regional coworking spaces employees as a local alternative to working from home. Apps such as Desana have proven to be a win-win, as employers can track flex office take-up across multiple locations outside London, and determine when it might be more cost effective to find a permanent space and dedicated desks for their teams.
Key questions to help you find the best shared office for your business
Location and accessibility
- Is the shared workspace in a location that is close to key clients or transit hubs?
- Is the coworking space in the right location for my team and my clients?
- How will the commute be? Are there good London transport links, parking and cycling facilities close to the workspace?
Space and flexibility
- Do you need hot desks, private offices or dedicated floors? Determine how much coworking space and the volume of desks you need now as well as in the future.
- Before you rent, check that there is sufficient temporary office space or meeting rooms available for your business and your team’s one-off or short-term needs.
- Be open about your objectives and ambitions. Can you easily scale up or down how much of the coworking space, desks or rooms you need if the size of your team changes? Demand for shared workspaces is high, so make sure you’ve found a space that will suit you in the long term.
Cost and terms
- Are the lease terms flexible? Many shared offices offer month-to-month or 6–12 month rental contracts.
- Work out what your budget is, how much you want to pay and compare coworking rental options.
- What’s included in the rental cost? Look for essentials such as Wi-Fi, utilities, cleaning and reception services as well as the amount you’d pay for the desks you need.
- Are there any hidden fees, such as for private meeting rooms, printing or business events?
- Weigh up the cost of renting in prime locations versus up-and-coming areas.
Amenities
- What facilities are available for your clients and staff? In addition to desks, meeting rooms, cafes and kitchens, many shared offices and coworking spaces include lounges, gyms and wellness areas.
- Are the coworking facilities modern and well maintained?
- Do front-of-house areas in the office you’re considering renting fit with your brand and anticipated client experience?
Privacy and security
- Does the shared office have sound-proofed booths or private areas for calls and virtual meetings? Remember that some staff will need to dial into virtual meetings when they’re onsite.
- What are the data and cyber security expectations within your industry? Make sure your business would comply within the building you’re looking to rent.
- How secure is the space you are sharing? Look for access control systems such as keycards or fobs.
Energy efficiency
- What does the space look like now? If you commit to renting it, will you need to dispose of significant fit-out waste as you make it your own?
- What will the impact of your move be on employees’ individual carbon footprints? Look for rental arrangements such as ‘hub and spoke’ models for remote teams.
- What energy efficiency and environmental management policies and features are in place? Consider the environmental impact according to the number of desks you commit to and the size of your team.
Culture and community
- Does the space align with your brand, team and work culture?
- Look at the communal areas – can you see your team collaborating or networking within these?
- Soak up the atmosphere and make sure it fits your business before you decide to rent there consider whether the shared office is a quiet, focused environment or desks are located in a more social and creative space.
Providers and performance
- Take the time to research the people behind the building before you commit to renting it. Is the operator reputable and experienced in office space sharing?
- Look at tenant reviews and occupancy rates if they are available. How high is demand for the office in question? Can they share usage data or growth recommendations?
- Find out whether members tend to stay for longer or less time than in traditional offices. Long business tenure is a good sign of a well-run shared office.
The power of data
Informed decisions
There is limited data on the shared office market, but CBRE’s connectivity with occupiers, operators and investors gives the business oversight of pricing and occupier trends and demand across the full flexible offices ecosystem.
The quarterly CBRE Flex Market Update highlights the scale and revenue growth of this maturing market. This insight not only informs operator and occupiers’ workspace decisions, but is a continuous source of intelligence that shapes CBRE’s offering and the solutions available to clients.
The future of flex
Heading into 2025, demand for shared office space in London is expected to remain strong. Corporate take-up is rising, and more businesses are integrating flex into their core real estate strategy. On the investor side, expect creative deal structures and a continued push toward outsourcing space management to professional operators.
Demand for shared office space is accelerating across all sectors. Our research shows that more businesses in London are now signing longer initial leases spanning two to three years, which is testament to the growing confidence in the shared workspace model.
Looking for something specific?
Contact our Flexible Office Space team who can negotiate a deal combining both traditional and coworking spaces to suit not just your current requirements, but will scale up and down as your requirements evolve.
How to get the most from your shared workspace
- Network and engage with other teams within the workspace, in and outside of your business.
- Take advantage of the workspace’s amenities, services and onsite community.
- Maintain a dialogue with the workspace operator: your feedback is essential to improving the occupier experience.
- Be open about your objectives and ambitions so the workspace flexes to meet your needs as your business changes.
And a word on shared office etiquette...
- Make the most of the coworking community but respect shared spaces and communal areas.
- Collaborate but be mindful of noise levels.
- Use the in-office booking facilities ahead of using a shared space.
The working world will continue to redefine itself, and whether businesses are grappling with cost constraints and commercial challenges or chasing growth and market share, they will always need to be agile, while pulling out the stops to appeal to clients, employees and future talent.
Wherever you are in your professional journey, flexible office workspace solutions could well be the right fit for your business, now and in the future.
Creative Capital: CBRE’s Core-Flex Strategy Redefines Workplace Innovation in NYC
The workplace is ever changing, so it’s little wonder that corporate occupiers are looking to stay on trend while making sure their portfolio stands the test of time.
CBRE partnered with flex-space operator Industrious to combine a managed solution and core-flex deal that was to house its flagship global headquarters, and a workspace that would accommodate its expanding Investment Management and Capital Markets business lines.
As a pioneer in real estate, CBRE sought a building from which it could showcase the best of workplace experience, demonstrate operational agility and drive long-term value generation. The goal was to create a vibrant, future-ready workspace that would ‘wow’ clients, energise employees and offer the scalability to grow over time.
The business decided on a six-floor development within the iconic, and recently refurbished, Lever House. As the firm’s capacity requirements are expected to grow significantly over time, they needed to devise an operating model that befitted their business in the short and the long term, while securing favourable returns.
CBRE collaborated with Industrious to co-develop a hybrid occupancy model: a managed core-flex lease that leverages both partners’ strengths and expertise. Under the terms of the deal, Industrious is managing the design, buildout, operations and workspace experience within CBRE’s four dedicated floors. The two remaining floors within the stack will operate as Industrious-branded flexible workspace — open to other tenants, but integrated into CBRE’s own ecosystem.
This arrangement allows CBRE to enjoy a ‘plug-and-play’ approach to workplace delivery without jeopardising brand experience or design quality. CBRE’s clients and employees will have seamless access to Industrious’s renowned proposition, from high-end amenities to business events and programming.
The result is a best-in-class workspace that facilitates connectivity between the full CBRE community, from the onsite employees to clients themselves. By design, the offices are more densely populated than CBRE’s average property, resulting in reduced costs and the optimum occupier experience.
The deal not only fulfils CBRE’s workspace objectives, but allows the firm to monetise its investment through the excess capital, and then scale when the time is right. CBRE went on to complete its full acquisition of Industrious in January 2025, underscoring the firm’s commitment to flexible solutions and the continued successes the collaboration presents.