Live pricing from 15,000+ buildings across London. Compare City vs West End vs Shoreditch vs Canary Wharf side by side.
Serviced and managed office ranges across London. Figures are all-in monthly estimates including service charge and rates. Traditional leasehold is cheaper per sq ft but requires fit-out and longer commitment.
This is the midpoint, not the floor. You can find equivalent spec for 30–40% less by moving 3 tube stops from the West End.
| Team Size | Office Type | Typical Sq Ft | Serviced £/desk/mo | Managed/Leased £/desk/mo | All-in Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | Serviced suite | 400–600 sq ft | £350–£700 | £500–£800 | £1,750–£3,500/mo |
| 10 people | Serviced or managed | 800–1,200 sq ft | £450–£750 | £550–£850 | £4,500–£8,500/mo |
| 20 people | Managed floor | 1,600–2,400 sq ft | — (managed pricing) | £500–£750 | £10,000–£15,000/mo |
| 50 people | Leased or managed whole floor | 4,000–6,000 sq ft | — (managed pricing) | £450–£700 | £22,500–£35,000/mo |
Note: Ranges reflect serviced and managed office listings on Seek across London in Q1–Q2 2026. Leased (traditional) offices price per sq ft and require separate legal and fit-out costs. Excludes business rates which vary by RV — see Section 5 for April 2026 revaluation impact.
Serviced desk range vs managed office range across 7 central London submarkets. Transport score reflects Elizabeth Line + tube connectivity.
| Submarket | Serviced Desk | Managed Office | Best For | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West End (Mayfair, Soho, Victoria) | £830–£1,290 | £700–£1,200 | Finance, law, consulting | ★★★★★ |
| City of London | £490–£900 | £600–£850 | Professional services, fintech | ★★★★★ |
| Canary Wharf & Docklands | £300–£500 | £400–£650 | Finance, compliance, intl teams | ★★★★ |
| Shoreditch & Old Street | £350–£800 | £450–£700 | Tech, creative, agencies | ★★★★ |
| Southbank & Waterloo | £300–£600 | £400–£650 | Media, marketing, cross-disciplinary | ★★★★ |
| Farringdon & Clerkenwell | £400–£750 | £500–£750 | Law, professional services | ★★★★★ |
| King's Cross & Euston | £350–£700 | £450–£700 | Tech, media, growing teams | ★★★★★ |
Key: Serviced = all-in monthly fee including utilities, internet, cleaning, meeting room access. Managed = pricing per sq ft, typically 3–5 year lease, tenant manages fit-out.
A desk in Canary Wharf starts from £300/mo. The same spec in Mayfair can hit £1,290/mo. If you don't need a W1 postcode, that difference is £11,880/year per desk — before you factor in business rates. See what you get for your budget →
Most London office quotes lie. Here's why.
From 1 April 2026, London's office rateable values increase by an average of 14% in Central London and 11–18% in Outer London. Properties above £500,000 RV face a new supplementary multiplier. If you're moving into a new lease from April 2026, your rates liability is likely higher than the previous occupant's. Get a rates health check before you sign. Mayfair sees the sharpest increase at +23% (Kontor 2026 revaluation analysis).
If you go through a traditional broker on a £60,000/year lease, you're paying £6,000–£9,000 in commission. That cost is baked into the deal. Seek operators pay a flat subscription. There is no commission on your deal. Enquiry goes direct. Calculate what you'd save on your London deal →
Broker fees, revaluations, dilapidations — the costs that surprise tenants when the lease is signed.
When your lease ends, you must return the property in the condition it was handed over in — or pay for the difference. On a 5-year managed lease for a 10-person team, dilapidations can run £15,000–£50,000 if the space has been significantly altered.
Mitigation: Negotiate a Schedule of Condition at the start. Use a tenant representation specialist who works for you, not the landlord.
Managed and leased offices typically require a deposit of 3–6 months' rent. On a 10-person City office at £7,000/month, that's £21,000–£42,000 cash locked up before you move in. Serviced offices typically require nothing or a small one-month deposit.
In the City of London (where vacancy is higher), tenants on 5-year leases can negotiate up to 12 months rent-free — but only if you ask, and only with an advisor representing your side. Only around 1 in 5 commercial leases include any rent-free period at all. In a hot West End market, you may get zero.
Tip: If you're signing a 2-year deal and not negotiating a 1-month rent-free period per year of term, you're leaving money on the table.
If you're taking a shell space and fitting it out, every week of construction is a week of paying for the space without using it. A 12-week fit-out on a £7,000/month office costs £21,000 in rent before you've sat at a desk. Factor this into your budget and your start date negotiation.
Business rates are payable from the moment you occupy — there's no grace period. If your lease starts mid-quarter, you'll pay a prorated amount immediately. Don't assume you have a rates-free window. From April 2026, these are higher than previous years due to the revaluation.
Commercial Stamp Duty runs 0%–5% on the rent element and 0% on the higher rates for premium transactions above £250,000. For a 10-year lease on a £1M property, SDLT could be £12,500+. Check with your solicitor — this is often overlooked in the initial budget.
Scenario: 10-person team, 1,200 sq ft managed office in the City of London. 5-year lease. Headline rent: £65/sq ft/year.
| Cost Item | Annual | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline rent | £78,000 | £6,500 | £65/sq ft × 1,200 sq ft |
| Business rates | £19,200 | £1,600 | ~£16/sq ft; revalued from April 2026 |
| Service charge | £18,000 | £1,500 | ~£15/sq ft; Central London typical |
| Utilities | £3,600 | £300 | ~£300/desk/year if not included |
| Headline total | £118,800 | £9,900 | |
| Less: rent-free period (negotiated) | −£6,500 | −£650 | 1 month free on 5-year term |
| All-in monthly cost | — | £9,250 | |
| Per desk (10 people) | £925/desk/mo |
For a serviced office of equivalent size, you'd likely pay £7,000–£10,500/month (£700–£1,050/desk) all-in — no rates or service charge management, and the ability to exit on monthly terms. Compare the two on our quiz. Find a 10-person City office →
Office type, sq ft, cost range, lease length, fit-out needs, and what to look for — for each team size.
Answers to the questions London office seekers ask us most.