Do you want to work from home, use a shared office space or studio, or work from client’s premises? Deciding where you want to work is a crucial decision, especially depending on affordability, availability, credibility, your specific requirements, as well as productivity and general well being you can gain from the environment or people you work with!
What do you want? What do you really need?
Before you begin your search, it is important to make a checklist of your specific requirements, and identify which of these are most important to you. For example: what do you plan to use the space for (i.e. office space or creative space), how much square footage do you really need and what will you be using it for, what can you afford, do you want to share with others, is it safe? Do you need water and gas supplies, a good source of light, is it insulated (and therefore not baking hot in the summer and ice cold in the winter)? If you are using machinery you will also need to consider whether you’ll be able to get it through the door or window and whether the floors are strong enough to take its weight. Other factors include:
- Location: In terms of geographical location, consider how and how far you want to travel to your home or to your clients or suppliers. Is public transport good (and safe), or is there plenty of parking space? How important is the location for your clients (for some people being in the middle of Shoreditch and having that postcode is crucial for their credibility)? How far do clients really want to travel? Check out the council rates and insurance rates as certain postcodes or councils are far more expensive than others.
- Work on your own or with others? Do you want to work on your own, share with others or at least be close to similar businesses? Working together can help share costs, but also can offer support and help with generating ideas and learning best practice, as well as offering networking opportunities. Some larger or specialist business premises offer a reception, meeting rooms, business development training. Some creative studio spaces offer open studios or other exhibiton or networking opportunities.
- How much can you afford? Take into account not just the rental or mortgage repayments but also all the running costs such as business rates, tax (such as VAT), electricity, water, heating, insurance, service charge and any legal agreements. Once you have done this you have your budget and can work from there.
- Are you eligible for any subsidies or grants? Some business spaces offer special rates for business start-ups, and some councils provide discounts on business rates to certain businesses.
What type of space are you looking for?
- Desk space: if you want to work with others in the same space but can’t afford renting your own fulltime space, then a desk space might be an option. You basically rent one or two desks and pay a monthly fee that normally includes all the overhead costs.
- Professionally run workspaces: Here you find spaces of various sizes to suit your needs, some are shared spaces others are for individuals, and some workspaces are specifically aimed at a sector (i.e. Cockpit Arts or Craft Central for craftspeople) These often provide administrative support and sometimes training or networking opportunities (for example Open Studios for creative venues).
Legal Issues
It is important to get as much information as possible from the leaseholder before you make a decision and to compare different potential spaces. You will need to know if you have to sign a lease, how long it is valid for, what is included (i.e. heating, lighting), and what additional costs there might be (i.e. VAT, business rates). You also need to ask who’s responsible for repairs and whether there are any restrictions on the type of equipment or materials you can use. Find out how secure the building is and if you can have 24-hour access. Other considerations include:
- Do they offer any administration or training support?
- Are there any noise restrictions?
- How will you be able to heat the space?
- How much are the business rates?
It is also a good idea to speak to other tenants about their experiences of working in the building to find out if there are any issues you should be aware of.
Tenancy agreements
You may need to have a lease or tenancy agreement drawn up by a solicitor, if the leaseholder does not provide you with one. It should cover: how long the agreement will last for, who is responsible for any repairs and additional costs, and any additional points that are important to you. It is advisable to check with the local authority that the workshop you want to lease has planning permission to be used for this purpose. If it doesn’t you will have to submit an application.
Where and how to find suitable workspaces?
There are a number of ways you can find out about workplaces that will suit your requirements, these include:
- Word of mouth: recommendations from other creative people are invaluable
- Advertisements or listings in local papers, magazines (i.e. Artist Newsletter, Design Week), sector websites (i.e. www.artquest.org.uk for visual artists, www.creativespaceagency.co.uk)
- Local Boroughs very often publish a list of their workshops online
- Creative specialist workshop providers in London are: Urban Space Development, Cockpit Arts, Craft Central, Space Studios
