Opening a London Office: A Guide for US Companies (2026)
What a US company pays for a London office in pounds and dollars (median £475, about $630 per desk a month), the contracts, timing, VAT and entity questions, step by step.
For a London team of 20 or more, a serviced office is the faster, shorter commitment – a furnished suite on a one-to-twelve-month licence, median £550 per desk a month in November 2026 across 444 priced centres that take 20+ – and a managed office is your own fitted floor on a one-to-three-year agreement, quoted per floor. Managed space is now a quarter of London flex transactions, and managed deals average 6,600 sq ft against 4,100 for serviced (JLL, 8 July 2026). The choice turns on how long you will stay, how much the floor should look like yours, and how fixed your headcount is.
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The two products side by side
| Serviced office (suite) | Managed office (floor) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Private suite in a shared building | A self-contained floor or building, fitted to your brief |
| Contract | Licence, 1-12 months, rolling after | Service agreement, typically 12-36 months |
| Time to move in | Days to three weeks | Four to twelve weeks (fit-out) |
| Fit-out | Operator’s standard furniture | Designed to your brief; operator funds and amortises it |
| Shared space | Reception, kitchens, meeting rooms shared | Your own entrance, kitchen and meeting rooms |
| Branding | Limited | Your own |
| Price basis | Per desk per month, all-in | Per desk or per floor per month, all-in, quoted on enquiry |
| Typical size | 1-50 desks | 20-150+ desks |
| Exit | One to three months’ notice | Fixed term; breaks negotiated |
What each costs (labelled by source)
- Serviced, SquareFoot data, November 2026: centres that take teams of 20+ ask a median £550 per desk a month (444 priced; middle half £400 to £745). 20 people about £11,000 a month; 50 people at the 50+ median of £555 about £27,750.
- Managed, public sources: Rubberdesk’s Q4 2025 London asking medians put managed space at £805 per desk against £575 for serviced. Valve, reported by Allwork.Space, puts the average London managed rent at £153 per sq ft a year, with managed supply up 66% since 2022 across 750+ buildings and 101 providers. Savills’ Workthere put the average managed deal at 27.3 desks in 2024, against 8.5 desks for a standard private office.
- Lease, for scale: Knight Frank’s prime headline rents in Q3 2026 ran from £62.50 per sq ft (Canary Wharf) to £112.50 (City Core) and £200 (West End Core), before business rates, service charge and fit-out.
Why managed costs more per desk on the rate card: it includes a bespoke fit-out amortised over the term and space no one else shares. Why it can cost less in total: no fit-out capital, no dilapidations, no separate rates and service charge bills, and a term far shorter than a lease.
When serviced wins
- Headcount could move by a fifth either way in the next year.
- You need to be in within a month.
- The team is under about 30 and does not need its own entrance.
- You are testing London before committing (a new UK office for a US company, a project team).
When managed wins
- 30 to 150 people with a two-to-three-year view.
- The office has to carry your brand: client floor, your own reception, your layout.
- Security or confidentiality rules out shared reception and meeting rooms.
- You want lease-like control without the capital outlay and the five-to-ten-year term.
JLL (8 July 2026): requirements over 6,000 sq ft rose 103% between 2023 and 2025, and nearly a quarter of managed occupiers commit for more than 24 months. CBRE put London corporate flex demand at record levels in Q1 2026, with requirements up 40% year on year.
Where the space for 20+ is
Most London centres taking 20+ on SquareFoot: Fitzrovia 69, Shoreditch 69, Old Street 62, Farringdon 62, Holborn 52, Mayfair 51. 1,095 London centres list an office for 20+; 1,226 centres are listed as managed offices, almost all quoted on enquiry.
Questions to ask an operator
- Is the price per desk or per floor, and what headcount is it built for?
- Who designs and pays for the fit-out, and what happens to it at the end?
- What is the term, the break, and the notice?
- What is excluded: VAT, energy above a cap, meeting rooms, out-of-hours access?
- Can we take more space in the building if we grow?
How SquareFoot helps
Our local team in London asks every operator with suitable stock for serviced and managed quotes on the same headcount, term and district, so the two can be compared like for like, then books viewings. Free for the tenant: the operator pays.
Sources: SquareFoot London listings (serviced, November 2026); JLL London flex, 8 July 2026; CBRE London Q1 2026; Rubberdesk Q4 2025; Savills / Workthere 2024; Valve via Allwork.Space; Knight Frank, The London Office Market Report Q3 2026, published 3 November 2026.
Counts and prices are from SquareFoot’s live London listings as of November 2026: 2,325 centres, 872 with a published asking price per desk per month, collected from the operators’ own pages. Derived and conventional-lease prices are listed but never counted in a median. Written by SquareFoot; reviewed November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a managed and a serviced office?
A serviced office is a suite in an operator’s shared building on a short licence with shared reception and meeting rooms; a managed office is a floor fitted out to your brief and run by the operator on a one-to-three-year agreement, with your own entrance and branding.
Is a managed office more expensive than a serviced office?
Usually per desk on the rate card: Rubberdesk’s Q4 2025 London asking medians were £805 per desk for managed against £575 for serviced. In total cost over two or three years the gap narrows, because managed avoids fit-out capital and lease costs.
How long does a managed office take to set up?
Typically four to twelve weeks from signing, depending on how much the operator fits out to your brief.
What size team suits a managed office?
Roughly 20 to 150 people. Savills’ Workthere put the average managed deal at 27.3 desks in 2024; JLL puts the average managed transaction at 6,600 sq ft.
Can I move from serviced to managed later?
Yes, and many teams do: start in a serviced suite while headcount settles, then move to a managed floor, often with the same operator.
Related: Every London office with prices · London office space prices by district · How much an office costs in London (per desk and per sq ft) · Serviced offices in London · Office space for 20 to 50 people in London · Office space for 50+ people in London · Do you need an office broker in London? · Opening a London office: a guide for US companies
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