Five Questions to Ask Before You Rent an Office

Square footage is the least interesting number on an office tour. A room can measure perfectly and still wreck your quarter — bad light, thin walls, a landlord who vanishes after signing. Before you commit to any office, coworking or otherwise, ask these five questions.

First: what does a Tuesday sound like? Visit mid-morning, not Saturday. Second: who fixes the internet when it dies at 4pm before a launch? Third: what is the true all-in cost — parking, printing, meeting rooms, coffee? Fourth: how do you grow from four desks to seven without moving buildings? And fifth: who else works here, and would you hire them?

The community question matters most

Four of our last ten team-suite members found a key hire within the building. You cannot put that in a lease comparison spreadsheet, but over a year it dwarfs a $50 rent difference. Tour the people, not just the floor plan.

"Tour the people, not just the floor plan."

Bring this list on your next tour — including ours. If a space hesitates on any answer, keep looking.