Best Temporary Office Rental Space Providers

Compare the best temporary office rental space providers side-by-side

What is a temporary office?

Temporary office space is just that—space your business can use for the short term. It is designed to offer the flexibility you need in terms of duration and cost. It’s more cost-effective than a long-term lease for a dedicated office, making it an ideal solution if you require space for shorter durations or need to remain agile in your workspace arrangements.

Types of temporary office spaces

Today, many temporary offices and a variety of spaces are available for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. But, that wasn’t always the case. According to Zippia, there were only 14 coworking spaces in the U.S. in 2007. In 2017, there were over 4,000; in 2022, it’s estimated there were over 6,200. 

Flexibility is the name of the game, and companies that offer a variety of spaces win our vote for the best option, but of course, you should look for one that meets your exact needs.

The following are types of spaces you might be interested in:

• Coworking: shared office space in a communal environment where individuals or teams can rent desks or workstations. These spaces sometimes include phone booths for private calls. 
• Dedicated desks: a desk reserved just for you and the duration of your term within a coworking space.
• Event spaces: where a company can host large conferences, seminars, workshops, and corporate gatherings. These usually have audiovisual equipment and seating arrangements.
• Hot desks: a desk available on a first-come, first-serve basis and not reserved for anyone in particular within a coworking space.
• Meeting, conference, and board rooms: rooms where companies or individuals can hold meetings, presentations, and workshops.
• Private offices: fully furnished and often customized office within a temporary office space. These often come with cleaning services and administrative support.
• Virtual offices: for remote businesses that need a physical address to promote a professional image. These usually include a business address, phone number and service, and sometimes a meeting space.
• Full floor office: when a company rents an entire floor in a communal building to use a temporary space for their whole team or business. These are serviced offices with regular cleaning service. 
• Workplace recovery: when disaster hits, this is a place where a business can relocate to in the interim. This usually includes furniture and office technology, meeting rooms, a phone system, and nightly cleaning services. Regus is the only provider on our list that provides this type of space.

The benefits of temporary office space

“Office space rentals are flexible, cost-effective, and have many benefits. They’re especially useful for startups and smaller businesses,” says Priyanka Swamy, Founder and CEO of Perfect Lock. Swamy has been a small business owner for 16 years.

“Over the years, I have had the chance to learn a lot about running a small business, including renting temporary office space. Office space rentals give small businesses the flexibility they need to succeed in today’s fast-paced business world. They’re perfect for businesses seeking a productive, budget-friendly, and flexible workspace.”

The primary benefit is its flexibility, enabling companies to adapt to changing needs without the issues of long-term leases and real estate. Moreover, temporary offices are a cost-effective alternative, reducing the financial burden of renting and maintaining a dedicated space.

According to a recent study by CoworkingCafe, coworking is 96% more affordable than leasing a traditional office space. In fact, in 17 U.S. cities, coworking space subscriptions were less than half the cost of a conventional office space lease.

Beyond flexibility and cost savings, the main benefits of temporary office space include:

• Adaptability
• Administrative support
• Amenities
• Answering service
• Business phone
• Business technology
• Community
• Convenience
• IT assistance
• Networking opportunities
• Physical mailing address
• Professional image
• Socialization

How much does a temporary office space cost?

The pricing for temporary office spaces ranges from a monthly membership rate with a set amount of hours to a daily rate. To make it easier to understand, we reviewed the pricing for each of our chosen vendors on coworking space. Of the companies that charge a monthly rate, prices range from $29 to $139 monthly.

Croissant is the cheapest at $29 monthly (for 10 hours monthly). Servcorp is the most expensive at $184 a month for full-time monthly hours (8:30 A.M to 5:30 P.M). WeWork has a membership plan of $29 per day plus tax.

However, some companies offer discounts. Alliance Virtual Offices offers free setup, and Regus gives you up to three months free on select workspaces.

How to choose the best temporary office space for your business

Choosing the best temporary workspace ultimately depends on what will meet your unique needs. Swamy recommends considering location, amenities, scalability, and cost when identifying your temporary office space needs. Let’s break that down:

Location: Make sure the company you choose has convenient locations for you, your team, and your clients and is accessible by public and private transportation.

Amenities: Besides amenities that meet your essential business needs like high-speed internet, decide what is important to you and your team. Do you need a wellness room, outdoor space, a fully stocked kitchen, or cafes? What about a Mother’s room?

Scalability: “Make sure you have a flexible lease to keep up with your business’s changing needs,” Swamy says. This means the ability to add more space if you need it, as well as flexible terms, is essential.

Cost: Identify and compare several spaces and check for inclusions to ensure you are getting a space within your budget and that the value is there.

Temporary Office Space Providers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is temporary office space the same as coworking space?

Temporary office space and coworking space are not the same, but similar. Temporary office space is designed for teams—usually a private office or floor, while coworking space is more for solo and entrepreneurs and means a single desk or single office in a communal space.

Can temporary office space become long-term office space?

Temporary office space is just that temporary, with no strings attached. However, companies see the value in these setups with no overhead costs or lease down payment, and many opt to extend their time. That is the beauty of these spaces—you can use them as long or as briefly as needed.

How much office space do I need?

Generally, you need between 125 and 400 square feet of office space per person—less for minor roles and more for more prominent executive roles. You can get away with roughly 60 to 110 square feet for open spaces like coworking desks.

It goes back to assessing your needs. Are you trying to find a private space or floor for your team, or do you just need a desk to slip into a few hours a week?

Methodology: How we chose the best temporary office space providers

We identified a comprehensive list of 26 well-known temporary office space rental providers currently available. Because there are few user reviews and the category as a whole does not have a huge online presence, we focused on the largest providers—those with the most spaces to offer and the most considerable amount of reviews to gauge user feedback.

Our data collection process involved in-depth user interviews, a study of each company’s offerings, and a thorough examination of the company. After this in-depth assessment, we pinpointed five prominent providers and went to great lengths to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the information presented.

To objectively evaluate these vendors, we used a scoring system where each company was assessed on a scale ranging from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) across the following four key areas, with each contributing 25% to the overall score:

1. Variety of Features: The features we focused on and assessed each provider by were the type of space offerings, U.S. and global locations, and business technology provided at each site. We also checked whether or not they provided on-site support and assistance, amenities such as wellness rooms, outdoor spaces, and on-site stocked kitchens.
2. Pricing Transparency: There were many price considerations—some companies offer memberships and plans, while others offer daily prices. We compared actual pricing and plans for each vendor and assessed whether this information was readily available online or required a meeting with the company and a custom quote request. Companies that provided transparency scored higher here.
3. Onboarding and Support: While chat, email, and phone are all measures of customer support, for this category, we also looked at mobile apps to ensure that booking space was easy and convenient. We also checked if support was available on-site to help users set up and work quickly.
4. Brand Reputation: A company’s reputation speaks volumes about its commitment to customer satisfaction. While reviews were few and far between for this category, we focused on companies with the most reviews to best assess their reputation.

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