A guide to renting desk space

If you’re a freelancer or start-up venture then it’s very likely that you’ll be looking to keep your overheads to an absolute bare minimum, particularly in light of the current economic climate. In that respect, many of us tend to opt for the working from home route when it comes to saving some money, but running a business from the spare bedroom, study, or even the garage isnít always the best answer.

After all, if you’re the sort of person who loves to network then it’s far better to get out there in the thick of it to try and drum up more business, rather than being holed up in isolation back at home. There are also endless interruptions for people who work from home, often in the shape of well meaning relatives. So, what may seem like a cost effective option, could end up being surprisingly counterproductive.

Try a different approach

Now though, there’s another way that is becoming increasingly popular with individuals keen to keep their costs down but get out and promote themselves in the wider business arena. Renting a desk in a shared or serviced office space can be an excellent way to get yourself situated in a prime location, perhaps in an inner city area or out on a swish new business park. Either way, going down this route can give you an instant and highly respectable new post code that will look suitably impressive on stationary and a website.

Meanwhile, the added benefit of desk space rental is that contracts are generally short-term and on a rolling basis. This means that you can be up and running in no time, it will allow you to explore if it works for you and your business without committing to long term contracts and, best of all, it won’t break the bank either.

Indeed, desk space rental can be really cheap, but also very cheerful when it comes to meeting like-minded business people some of whom might just be able to put some extra work your way.

The way to go

Getting yourself some desk space to rent is quick and easy these days, and the best way to do it is to use the services of a free comparison website. Tapping the resources of one of these will allow you to get an instant overview of whatís on offer, the sort of money youíll be expected to pay and also a snapshot of the sort of working areas that are up for grabs.

Once you’ve spotted something you like then simply get in touch with the landlord and you could be in within a very short time scale. Similarly, if it’s not working out for you, it’s also possible to be out again in double-quick time thanks to those short-term contracts. Admittedly, desk space rentals are generally short on frills, so you’ll get a desk, a chair and broadband internet but that will probably be about it. On the bright side, however, all you need to do is turn up, plug in your laptop and you’ll be up and running.

At the end of the day, simply get up and go home, while the cleaning duties and general upkeep of your new workspace environment will be taken care of by your landlord. Easy!

About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of Office Genie, the UK’s first proper online marketplace for desk space and shared office space.