Comparing & Shortlisting
How to evaluate the spaces on your shortlist
Keep the shortlist to three to five spaces. Beyond that, comparison stops being useful and the decision drags for weeks while good inventory gets taken.
Read the listing properly
Check what is listed as included versus chargeable, the seat count per room, the access hours, and how recently the pricing was updated. Listings with thin detail usually mean details you will only hear about at the quote stage.
Compare totals, not headline rates
For each space, build one monthly number: seat rate multiplied by seats, plus maintenance, electricity, expected meeting room hours, parking and GST. Rank on that number.
Then divide by the number of people who will actually be in the office each day. A space that is 10% more expensive but 20 minutes closer usually wins on that measure.
Check capacity and layout against your team
Match the floor to how your team works: enough booths for the call-heavy roles, quiet corners for focus work, and a meeting room your largest recurring meeting fits into. A cabin that seats the team but has nowhere to hold a stand-up will feel wrong within a fortnight.
Visit, or book a day pass first
Visit mid-week, mid-afternoon, when the floor is at its fullest. Where the operator also sells day passes, book one and work a full day there before committing to a month.
Questions to ask the operator
- What is included in the seat rate, and what is billed on top?
- What is the lock-in, the notice period and the deposit?
- How many meeting room credits are included, and what is the rate after that?
- What is the annual escalation, and from which date does it apply?
- Can we add seats mid-term, and at what rate?
- What are the real access hours on weekends and holidays?