Rent Office Space News and Trends

Go off the beaten path when it comes to office space rental

The traditional way to rent office space is well-known: you find an office for rent in an office building and take out a lease. But there are other ways to give your business an address.

When you're looking at office rentals, you need to think about the size of your business, how long you'll need the space, and what you're using the space for. This might seem like a no-brainer, but your answers may lead you to different types of office space for rent than you were expecting. When you are ready to rent office space, news and trends can give you some fresh thoughts. Here are three new ideas in conference and office space rental:

1. Sharing an office lease

2. Using self-storage office space

3. Leasing temporary mobile office space

 

Pool resources and share costs in a shared office for lease

Shared office space is a good idea for small businesses that need to focus on building business, not setting up an office. Sharing office space with other complementary businesses can increase your networking and add heft to your small business. Short leases--sometimes just a few months long--are also more available to tenants of shared office space.
Try: At Independent Street, from the Wall Street Journal Online, you'll find "My Office is Your Office," an article on sharing office space that's followed by in-depth analysis and personal stories from business owners with shared-space experience. For one example of a shared office space option, complete with photos of the space, head to "Get a Cube and More at Sunshine Suites," from CenterNetworks.

Clear clutter when you rent office space for your stuff

For home-based entrepreneurs and small businesses that can't afford to rent a large office space, self-storage is a godsend. If you're less concerned with space for employees than space for goods, self-storage is affordable, no-maintenance, and grows easily to meet your needs. Why pay big bucks for extra square feet in conventional offices for rent just to store your archived paperwork?
Try: For a description of the new wave of high-end self-storage office space, see "Self-Storage Goes High-Tech," from the New York Times. Extra Space Storage has information on self-storage for business, from a Business Account Worksheet to different self-storage needs and strategies for specific industries.

Go with a mobile office space lease

Office trailers, or mobile offices, are not just for construction sites. They're also a quick fix if you have workers displaced by office renovation or a temporary influx of workers. If you need a training classroom, small conference room, or a private place to conduct physicals, an office trailer can be the right solution.
Try: 360 Mobile Office has a complete series outlining the steps and benefits of renting a mobile office, At Directory M, you'll find an intro to choosing and renting an office trailer.

 

• Remember to make sure your self-storage or mobile office space rental is wheelchair-accessible.

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