In a context where working methods are rapidly evolving, finding an ideal office solution is a challenge for businesses. The office market offers numerous alternatives: serviced office (or BOP), coworking, business center, or traditional lease. But which one to choose? Between the need for flexibility, cost optimization, and team dynamism, companies’ expectations differ.
This article deciphers the different options for workspace rentals, presenting their advantages and limitations. Our goal? To help you find your future offices, by presenting the solutions available to you and how they can meet your strategic needs.
What is a serviced office?
A serviced office is a type of workspace at the crossroads between coworking and traditional offices. Let’s decipher this model together and what differentiates it.Definition
A serviced office is a private, furnished, and equipped workspace, rented for a flexible duration via a service agreement. It is an office space where the company is the sole tenant of its premises. The contract, referred to as a service agreement, is signed between a tenant and a lessor (owner of the premises or premises manager). This concept represents a significant time-saver: it relieves the tenant company of the logistical and technical management of its premises (Wi-Fi connection, building security, charges, etc.). The included services, such as cleaning, maintenance, infrastructure management, and sometimes even visitor reception, allow the company to focus on its core business. This solution combines several advantages: the flexibility of coworking, the confidentiality of private offices, and additional professional services found in business centers.
Serviced Office Services and Equipment
Most operators offer great flexibility by allowing you to customize the services included in the contract. You can choose only the options that match your current needs. A few examples:
- Daily Management: cleaning service, technical maintenance, mail reception, electricity, water, property tax, insurance, concierge service, etc.
- Complete Fit-out: furniture, layout, storage, equipment.
- Connectivity and IT: high-speed internet access, technical infrastructure, badge access.
- Additional Services: cafeteria, visitor reception, printing solutions, mail service.
Advantages of a Serviced Office for the Tenant
For businesses, choosing a serviced office offers various benefits such as turnkey office spaces, confidentiality with floors reserved exclusively for your teams, a flexible commitment period, or simplified office management.
Disadvantages of Serviced Office Rental
Despite its advantages, the serviced office has some limitations.
It can indeed lack flexibility. Unlike coworking and business centers, which adapt to your needs, you may be forced to relocate if office capacity becomes insufficient. In a coworking space, for example, it is simple to add a workstation or to rent an additional office by the hour or by the day according to your occasional needs, if you host an intern or a partner.
Do you need to travel? Or to conduct a professional meeting in another city? With a serviced office,
Opting for the 3/6/9 Lease
The 3/6/9 lease, or commercial lease, is traditionally the lease used for professional offices. It imposes long-term commitments (for a minimum of three years) and heavy initial costs: fit-out work, furniture, maintenance, etc. Furthermore, it often requires continuous management of the premises by the tenant. Although economical in the long term, it remains rigid.
Differences Between Serviced Office and Traditional Lease
With a serviced office, the constraints of the 3/6/9 lease disappear: this model is distinguished by short and adaptable contracts. Without logistical management or initial investment, it offers immediate setup and ready-to-use offices. However, the overall cost can be higher due to the included services.
The main differences between a serviced office and a 3/6/9 lease are:
- Contract type: while the 3/6/9 lease refers to a type of rental contract in France regulated by French housing lease law, the serviced office is signed with a service agreement.
- Included services: with a 3/6/9 lease, you are responsible for the administrative and technical management of your offices and only rent the premises, whereas the BOP allows you to benefit from all the services and equipment of the location.
- Commitment period: a traditional lease commits for several years, whereas a serviced office can be rented for shorter periods, adapted to the company’s needs.
Choosing between a serviced office and a 3/6/9 lease thus depends on your company’s specific needs. While the traditional lease involves a long-term commitment, the serviced office allows for quick, turnkey setup. However, these two solutions may not be suitable for your needs.
What if renting a coworking office was the solution?
While traditional 3/6/9 lease rental remains rigid, privatizing an entire space may prove unsuitable for your need for flexibility and your workforce. However, there is a halfway solution: coworking office rental.
Definition of Coworking
First, let’s revisit the definition of a coworking space: it involves workspaces shared by professionals from different companies to collaborate or work individually. Events and networking activities can also be organized there to foster connections.
In these spaces, you will find traditional open-plan areas with individual workstations (open space), but also private enclosed offices, common areas (break rooms, relaxation areas, kitchens, studios, etc.), or meeting rooms.
Tenants (the coworkers) interact daily and share these spaces and services at an optimized cost: common areas, coffee machine, kitchen, printing, photocopying, etc. BURO Club centers, for example, offer fully equipped offices with services for professionals. This ensures you control your costs.
Offices can be rented à la carte according to needs, meeting rooms as well. This allows you to develop your professional activity with peace of mind and promote your teams’ well-being.
The principle of coworking, unlike a serviced office, is thus to have shared workspaces at an attractive cost, break isolation, and foster synergies between professionals from different backgrounds.
Coworking: Professional Services and Flexibility
Rest assured: you can find the flexibility and practicality of the BOP in the services offered in coworking and business centers.
In BURO Club centers, for example, your rental package includes all-inclusive services: visitor reception, office and common area maintenance, printers and photocopiers, mail management, internet connection, kitchens (fridge, microwave, sink). No unpleasant surprises when you receive your invoice! Costs are controlled.
Here are a few (non-exhaustive!) examples of services offered at BURO Club:
- A domiciliation solution, with the option to scan your mail and receive it by email, or mail forwarding.
- Telephone answering service in Lille and Tours, convenient for ensuring a professional response to your clients, even in your absence.
- Tailored support with secretarial services to simplify your administrative tasks, a gym, a relaxation area (therapists and physiotherapists) on site, and a restaurant in Sophia-Antipolis.
We are committed to valuing people, with human-sized centers, an available team and accessible services. You benefit from a working environment that promotes exchanges and your teams’ well-being at work.
Renting an Office in a Coworking Space: For Whom?
A Solution Adapted for Small Businesses and Freelancers
While the serviced office offers flexibility and the 3/6/9 lease provides a long-term framework, business centers and coworking spaces retain major advantages. They are particularly suited for freelancers and VSEs / SMEs who are looking for a stimulating environment, networking opportunities, and a range of à la carte professional services.An Alternative for Large Corporations
Large corporations also find their place in coworking and business centers. These spaces allow them to deploy remote teams near strategic hubs or to have flexible temporary offices in various French cities.A Professional and Economical Environment
The BURO Club network offers a network of sites in France and internationally, a loyalty program, and the possibility to rent spaces à la carte. This flexibility ensures cost control and an environment conducive to well-being and quality of life at work.Need flexibility? Are you looking for offices that evolve with your activity, with accessible professional services and human-sized spaces?