How to Find Office Space in London: Who to Call, Who Pays, How Long It Takes (2026)

There are three ways into an office in London, and they take anywhere from a week to half a year. A flexible office is a fitted room on a short licence with one monthly fee. A managed office is a whole floor an operator fits out for you on a one-to-three-year agreement. A conventional lease is the long route: your own fit-out, your own contract, and a term measured in years. Which one fits depends on headcount, how long you are committing for and whether you have an entity in the country yet. This guide covers who the players are, who pays, and what each route involves. London has the deepest flexible-office market in Europe: roughly a tenth of Central London’s office stock is flex, and the big operators publish their centres and starting prices online, which is where SquareFoot’s listings come from.

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Who you will deal with

Operators own or run the flexible buildings and sell desks and offices direct: WeWork, IWG (Regus, Spaces, Signature), Fora, Workspace Group, Landmark, Huckletree, Uncommon, Runway East, Work.Life, Mindspace, Argyll. Flex brokers and marketplaces list several operators in one place: Hubble, Instant Offices, Office Freedom, Workthere (Savills), Rubberdesk, and SquareFoot. Leasing agents and tenant representatives handle conventional space: JLL, CBRE, Savills, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield. Published asking prices for private offices in London currently run from £200 to £1,200 per desk per month, with a median of £525 (the London Office Space Price Index has the breakdown by district).

Who pays

• Flexible space: the operator pays the introducer a referral fee when a tenant signs, typically a share of the first-year contract value. The tenant pays nothing extra, and the price is the same whether they come direct or through SquareFoot.
• Leases: the landlord’s agent markets the space; a tenant who appoints their own adviser (tenant representation) usually negotiates that fee as a share of the saving or a share of the landlord’s letting fee. Many small tenants go without one.

The three ways in, and how long each takes

What to have ready

• A non-UK company can take flexible space directly; most operators ask for ID, proof of address and the company’s registration certificate. Some want a UK entity or a personal guarantee for longer managed-office terms.
• Registering a UK limited company at Companies House takes a day or two online and costs a small fee. The company needs a registered office address in the UK, which is why many operators sell a virtual-office product: a registered address and mail handling without a desk.

How SquareFoot fits in

SquareFoot is a marketplace, not a broker in London. It lists the operators’ published centres and prices in one place, lets you shortlist and ask for a tour, and hands the request to the operator or a local partner who confirms availability and the exact price. The tenant pays nothing; the operator pays the introducer when a contract is signed. Prices are quoted per desk per month for flexible space and per square foot per year for leases, both before VAT at 20%.

SquareFoot lists 178 flexible office centres in London from 16 operators, collected October 2026 from the operators’ own published pages. Guide written by SquareFoot; last reviewed October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get an office in London?

Flexible office: Tour to move-in in one to three weeks. Managed office: Four to twelve weeks. Conventional lease: Three to six months from search to occupation: heads of terms, legal due diligence, a fit-out you pay for, and a lease of five years or more with a break.

Do I pay a broker to find an office in London?

Flexible space: the operator pays the introducer a referral fee when a tenant signs, typically a share of the first-year contract value. The tenant pays nothing extra, and the price is the same whether they come direct or through SquareFoot.

Do I need a UK company to rent an office in London?

Not for flexible space: a foreign company can sign a licence with proof of registration and ID. A conventional lease usually needs a UK entity or a guarantee. Registering a UK limited company at Companies House takes a day or two.

Related: Flexible office vs lease in London · Where to put an office in London · London Office Space Price Index · Live listings in London

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