Office Space Guide
Managed Office Space
By Jules Robertson, Tally Workspace · Published 9th May 2026
What is a managed office space?
A managed office is a private workspace built and run for one company by a third-party operator. More flexible than a traditional lease and more customisable than a serviced floor - you get a dedicated space, a single monthly fee, and an operator who handles fit-out, furniture, IT, utilities and day-to-day management.
Behind that single monthly fee there are usually two agreements: a lease with the landlord and a management service agreement with the operator. The gap between them is where most deals get won or lost.
This guide covers what it costs, what is available now, who it is right for, and how the contracts actually work. We have negotiated managed deals for numerous incredible scale-ups in the last 12 months.
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Browse managed office space
Managed offices available through Tally Workspace right now. Hand-picked and refreshed every quarter.
Goodge Street, London
33 Charlotte Street
33 Charlotte Street is an office space in London that is perfect for businesses of all ...
From £37,020/month
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Charing Cross, London
Ivy Bridge
This Thames-side office space offers breathtaking river views, state-of-the-art end-of-...
From £27,560/month
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Kings Cross, London
The Brewery Building
The Brewery Building, located at 55-61 Brewery Road, N7 9QH, stands as a prominent dest...
From £15,900/month
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Fitzrovia, London
19 Wells Street Gpe
19 Wells Street, located in the heart of London's vibrant West End, is an exceptional o...
From £21,420/month
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Hammersmith, London
The Ark Hammersmith
The Ark Hammersmith, located at 201 Talgarth Road, W6 8BJ, is a modern and vibrant offi...
Contact for pricing
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Victoria, London
New Timber Yard, Dimes Place
New Timber Yard, located at Dimes Place, 1 Dimes Place, W6 0QR, is an exceptional offic...
From £18,550/month
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Covent Garden, London
39 Charing Cross Road
39 Charing Cross Road, located in the heart of London’s vibrant West End, is a prime ex...
From £39,150/month
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Fitzrovia, London
Elsley House Fitzrovia
Located in the heart of Fitzrovia, Elsley House offers a prime location for businesses ...
Contact for pricing
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Westminster, London
10 Dean Farrar Street, Victoria, SW1H 0DX
10 Dean Farrar Street, located in the heart of Victoria, SW1H 0DX, stands as a modern o...
From £43,099/month
View →Looking for something outside this list? Browse all office space in London and Manchester and other UK cities.
Free shortlist service
Want a tailored shortlist?
Tell us your team size, your area and your move date. We will send a hand-picked shortlist of managed offices that fit your brief - within 24 hours.
How much does managed office space cost?
A managed office in London usually lands between £419–£1,256 per desk per month depending on location, building quality and fit-out spec. Same desk count, same submarket, three providers - three very different prices.
Pricing by London submarket
| Submarket | Avg per desk / month | Avg per sq ft / year |
|---|---|---|
| City | £808 | £158 |
| Midtown | £831 | £165 |
| West End | £1,145 | £214 |
| Shoreditch | £644 | £115 |
| Southwark | £791 | £134 |
Based on available managed office listings on Tally Workspace. Updated regularly.
What drives the variation
Five levers move the number: location, building quality, contract length, fit-out spec, and the management service itself. The management fee and what it actually covers is where the spread between providers gets widest.
What is in the headline number
Most managed deals are all-in: rent, management fee, fit-out, furniture, broadband, cleaning, utilities, and your own internal meeting rooms. The catch is that what "all-in" means changes from provider to provider. Read the services list line by line.
When managed offices are overpriced
The management fee is where margin hides. Before you agree on one, establish two things in writing: who holds responsibility for day-to-day issues, and what the service levels are. Compare the total monthly cost including everything, not the headline rate.
Expert advice
Want us to pressure-test a quote?
Send us the proposal and we will tell you where the room is.
When a managed office is the right choice
Best for
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Scale-ups of 30 to 150 people who want their own branded space without a five-year commitment. At this size, you usually want your own meeting rooms, your own front door and your own culture.
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Teams without an in-house office manager. If nobody is going to take deliveries, chase cleaners and sort out broken air conditioning, you need an operator who actually does that work.
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Companies that want a single bill and a single point of contact instead of a landlord, a fit-out contractor, a cleaner, a broadband provider and a building manager.
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Anyone who needs to move fast. The fit-out is built into the deal, so the heavy lifting is on the operator, not you.
Not right for
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Teams under 20 people. At this size you rarely need your own internal meeting rooms or kitchen, so sharing those facilities on a serviced floor works out cheaper.
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Companies with uncertain headcount. If you might need to change the size of your space inside the term, go serviced with a provider that has a big portfolio and easy expansion.
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Anyone planning to stay for more than three years. At that horizon, a fit-out on a longer lease usually wins on total cost.
Pros
Your own space, your own brand. Fit-out done for you. One monthly bill. Shorter commitment than a lease.
Cons
Higher headline cost than a serviced floor for small teams. Locked in for the term unless you negotiated a break. Service quality varies wildly between providers.
A real example
A 25-person team had outgrown their central London serviced office and wanted somewhere of their own near the Elizabeth line. We shortlisted three buildings - looking at both managed and serviced. They liked one of the buildings but the all-in cost was too much, so we got one of the managed options re-quoted as a lease with management added through a different provider.
We pushed the management fee down and got the landlord to supply nearly all the furniture. They got their Soho space, fully managed, inside budget. The lever was being willing to take the same building three different ways.
Managed office space vs serviced offices vs traditional leases
A managed office sits between a serviced floor (most flex, least commitment) and a traditional lease (most control, longest commitment). Here is how the three compare.
| Feature | Managed | Serviced | Leased |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract type | Lease + management agreement | Licence with provider | Lease with landlord |
| Typical term length | 18 to 36 months | 1 to 24 months | 3 to 10 years |
| Fit-out and furniture | Built and supplied for you | Already in place | You design and pay for it |
| IT and broadband | Set up by the operator | Included | You arrange and pay for it |
| Cleaning and utilities | Included in one bill | Included in one bill | Separate contracts |
| Reception and meeting rooms | In-suite, plus shared if available | Shared with other tenants | Yours to set up |
| Customisation and branding | Your space, your brand | Limited, shared environment | Full control |
| Upfront cost | Low. Built into the deal. | Lowest. Move in same week. | Highest. Fit-out and deposits. |
| Ongoing cost predictability | Single monthly fee | Single monthly fee | Multiple bills, annual reviews |
| Best for | 30 to 150 people, 2 to 3 year horizon | Small teams or fast growth | 50+ people, 3+ year horizon |
Not sure which fits?
Still not sure which one fits?
Tell us your team size, where you want to be, and when you need to move. We will tell you straight which way to go.
Get expert help with your managed office search
Most office advisers have their own management arm and a quiet incentive to push you towards their own product. We do not. We work across managed, serviced and leased, and we will tell you which one is wrong for you as quickly as we will tell you which one is right.
Three things we do that a traditional broker will not:
Read both agreements side by side
The lease and the management service agreement are separate documents with separate terms. We check the details line up.
Tell you the real timeline
Managed deals are slower than serviced because there are four parties at the table. We tell you what to expect, not what you want to hear.
Translate the jargon
Property language is built to make a simple decision sound complicated. We cut through it.
No retainer. No lock-in. No agenda.
No retainer. No lock-in. No agenda.
Ready to start?
Tell us what your team needs and we will come back with a shortlist.
How a managed office works: the contracts behind the deal
Watch out: term mismatch
We worked with a King's Cross client recently where the lease ran two years and the management service agreement ran three. They were one signature away from paying for management on a space they would have already left. We caught it before it went out. Always read both documents side by side and confirm the terms line up.
Typical contract length
Expect a 2–3 year lease. Long enough for the operator to recover the fit-out cost, short enough that you are not stuck for ten years (though longer terms are possible if you want them).
Break clauses, notice and renewal
Most agreements have a break clause but the notice period, trigger date and break cost are all negotiable. So is the renewal mechanic and the price reset. Apply that to both documents.
Fit-out lead time
Plan for a 12-week lead time if the space needs to be fitted or you need new furniture delivered. Not every operator is honest about this up front. Build the slippage into your move date and check the operator has skin in the game if it slips.
Four parties, four agendas
You are usually negotiating with three parties: the landlord, the management provider, and your own team. The landlord wants the floor occupied. The management provider wants the management fee and the service margin. The levers on each are different, and you need to know who wants what. This is also why managed deals take longer than serviced. Build the time in.
What if you outgrow the space?
Most agreements have an expansion clause but it depends on what is available in the building on the day you ask. If your team might double in 18 months, this matters more than the price. Get the answer in writing.
What is included in a managed office?
Most managed offices are all-in. The headline fee covers everything in the table below. The catch is that what "all-in" actually means changes from operator to operator - always ask for the detailed services list before you sign.
| Service | What you get | Usually included? |
|---|---|---|
| Fit-out and design | Walls, floors, desk layout, meeting rooms built to your spec. Many spaces also come ready-fitted. | ✓ Yes, built into the deal. |
| Furniture | Desks, chairs, meeting room tables, breakout sofas, kitchen kit. | ✓ Yes |
| IT and broadband | Fibre line in, Wi-Fi across the floor, basic network setup. | ✓ Yes. Phones and your own kit usually extra. |
| Utilities | Power, water, heating, cooling. | ✓ Yes |
| Cleaning | Daily office cleaning, kitchen, washrooms. | ✓ Yes |
| Internal meeting rooms | Rooms inside your suite, for your team only. | ✓ Yes. Yours, not shared. |
| Reception | Staffed front-of-house if the building has one. | Often shared with other tenants in the building. |
| Security | Access control, alarms, building security. | ✓ Yes |
| Day-to-day management | Repairs, deliveries, contractor coordination, cleaning issues. | ✓ Yes, but the standard varies wildly. |
Two operators can both call themselves "fully managed" and deliver completely different things. Ask for what is included and SLAs in writing.
Managed office FAQs
What is a managed office?
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What is included in a managed office?
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How long are managed office contracts?
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What should you ask before signing a managed office contract?
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How much does a managed office in London cost?
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Can you customise a managed office?
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Managed office vs serviced office: what is the difference?
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No retainer. No lock-in. No agenda.
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Looking for something else?
Serviced offices
A desk or suite inside a multi-tenant building with shared facilities and a short contract. Faster and more flexible than managed.
Browse serviced offices →Leased offices
A direct lease with the landlord. More control, longer commitment - usually best for teams of 50+ with a 3-year horizon.
Browse leased offices →Search all office space
Browse the full Tally marketplace - serviced, managed and coworking spaces across London and the UK.
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