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October 10, 2026 | by Michael Monday
In Frankfurt the contract decides almost everything else: the term, the deposit, who fits out the space, and whether you need a local company to sign. This guide sets the three contract forms side by side and then covers what a company from abroad needs in place before it signs. Flexible space is quoted per Arbeitsplatz (desk) per month; conventional leases are quoted per square metre per month as net cold rent (Kaltmiete), before service charges (Nebenkosten) and VAT at 19%.
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A Nutzungsvertrag or Dienstleistungsvertrag, not a Mietvertrag, monthly or for six to twelve months with one month’s notice. One all-in fee per Arbeitsplatz covers rent, Nebenkosten, utilities, internet, cleaning, reception and meeting-room credits; a deposit of one to two months is usual. Umsatzsteuer at 19% is added.
Twelve to thirty-six months for a dedicated floor fitted and run by the operator, priced per desk or per month, for teams of twenty and up.
Typically five to ten years with renewal options, rent per square metre per month as Kaltmiete plus Nebenkosten and Umsatzsteuer at 19% where the landlord has opted. A Kaution of three months’ rent as a bank guarantee is standard, with index clauses and a Rückbau obligation at the end. A lease longer than one year must meet the written-form requirement of §550 BGB.
| Flexible office | Managed office | Conventional lease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | Licence or membership | Operator agreement | Lease |
| Term | 1–12 months, rolling after | 12–36 months | Years, with a break if negotiated |
| Fit-out | Done | Operator, to your spec | Yours to fund and remove |
| Price basis | Per desk per month, all-in | Per desk or per floor per month | Rent plus taxes, service charge, utilities |
| Deposit | 1–2 months | 1–3 months | Several months’ rent or a bank guarantee |
| Time to move in | Days to weeks | Weeks to months | Months |
SquareFoot is adding Frankfurt operators now; live listings for Frankfurt will appear on the markets page as they are collected. Guide written by SquareFoot; last reviewed October 2026.
No. It is a licence or service agreement for a fitted room with one monthly fee, usually one to twelve months and rolling after that. It gives no security of tenure and no fit-out obligation, which is the trade-off against a conventional lease.
Not for flexible space, which a foreign company can take on a usage agreement. A commercial lease usually needs a German entity; regulated financial firms also need BaFin authorisation before they can trade.
Eschborn, just outside Frankfurt’s city limits, sets a lower trade-tax (Gewerbesteuer) multiplier than Frankfurt, which for a profitable company with many staff can outweigh the central address. Flexible offices there are correspondingly cheaper.
Related: How to find office space in Frankfurt · Where to put an office in Frankfurt · SquareFoot international markets
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