How to find the best business center or the best coworking space in my city for me?

The second question that usually comes to mind is:

How do I find the best business center or co-working space for me in my city?

To answer this, start by clarifying a few things, such as:

1. In which city and neighborhood would you ideally like to rent an office?
2. Do you need a private office for your exclusive use, or would a flexible workspace suffice? If the latter, how many times a month would you like to rent your desk?
3. How much relief from administrative work or even more in-depth tasks would be desirable so you can focus 100% on your business, work quickly and efficiently, and concentrate on your core entrepreneurial tasks?
4. What is your monthly budget for office space? (Please don’t forget to factor in your own labor - and, if applicable, that of your employees - as a key resource, including financial resources, for finding office space, negotiating contracts, planning and furnishing the office, procuring technology, IT, phone and internet service providers, etc., as well as for renovations or remodeling, etc.)

Once you’ve worked out these facts and figures for yourself, start by searching for business center and co-working spaces in your preferred potential locations within your town. Don’t set your search area too narrowly. Then narrow down your choices based on whether they offer the service you defined in point 2 – ‘renting an office’, ‘renting a desk’ or ‘renting a co-working workspace’.

Ideally, you should be able to find the answer to point 3 directly on the providers’ websites under their services section. When doing so, bear the following in mind – or, better still, make a phone call to the business center and co-working spaces on your initial shortlist to enquire about their location and site as a matter of priority:

• Are there private individual offices, team offices and larger corporate offices available, ranging from a single person to teams of ten staff members? Make sure to clarify this even if you’re currently only looking for a single office – after all, you want your journey to be successful and sustainable.
• Are multiple offices or separate floor areas also available – in case your business expands?
• Does the location offer sufficient meeting rooms, flexible conference spaces, co-working and communal areas?
• Are virtual offices with a business or registered office address also available?
• Can you make use of on-site postal, telephone, secretarial and assistance services and combine them flexibly – i.e. book them as and when required or cancel them?
• How long has the provider been operating successfully in the market?

All of this speaks in favor of experienced, professional providers and ensures that, in the long term – regardless of how your business develops – you can remain at this location and operate flexibly. Consistent, reliable and professional business address details are absolutely vital for ensuring that you can be found and remain so. This builds trust not only online, but also amongst your existing contacts. And trust attracts customers.
 

And now, of course, point 4 – the costs – comes into the picture, although this can only be addressed once you have clearly defined your current initial requirements, i.e. point 2.

How much does it cost to rent an office in a business center or co-working space?

The price always depends on the desired size of the space, the number of workstations, the services you want or need, and usually also on the contract term.

When it comes to the contract term, make sure you have the flexibility to act as required and, ideally, can terminate the contract completely at any time with a maximum of three months’ notice to the end of the month, or reduce the scope of the contract as needed. An upgrade is generally always possible, subject to the availability of office space and co-working desks. Bear this in mind when choosing your provider, taking into account their flexibility and the overall size of their premises.

There is one provider (ecos work spaces in Munich) that even offers a contract term forecast model with discounts of up to 30 % on office rent for a projected term of 36 months. The contract can be terminated at any time with three months’ notice to the end of the month. If the contract ends earlier than planned, only the difference between the discount applicable to the term effectively fulfilled and the discount applicable to the full term will be charged retrospectively.

Now find out which services are included in the monthly rent for a private office.

If you wish to rent one or more co-working spaces, this is usually a cost-effective solution that is often used only sporadically or on a few days each month and should therefore generally only include the first 3–5 points in the list below. However, you should also be able to use or add on any additional services as and when required – subject to payment based on usage – so that your business can develop and grow freely and to its full potential at a permanent address.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises, the office rent should definitely include the following basic services and costs – secured by contract:

• Basic rent, service charges, heating, air conditioning, electricity and taxes.
• High-quality furnishings and daily cleaning.
• FREE Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art IT and office infrastructure.
• Use of bistro kitchens, toilet facilities and communal areas.
• Personal reception, postal service and parcel collection by on-site staff.
• Access to other services as required.
• Company sign, provided you use the address as your official business address – subject to a one-off production charge where applicable -, e.g. if you are permitted to use your own logo rather than simply being listed.
• Access control via electronic door locks, for enhanced security.
• 24/7 access to your rented offices and the communal areas, as office equipment, postboxes, kitchenettes, etc. are usually located in the communal areas.
• Rent meeting, seminar, conference and event rooms, with billing tailored exactly to your needs – by the hour, day or week.

The following should also be available and bookable:

• Multilingual secretarial, administrative and telephone services provided by on-site staff at the business center, ensuring you are always represented to the highest standard by staff who know you and your business personally.
• A wide range of internet services measured to your needs, modern communications-, office-, IT- and conference technology.
• Car parks, storage rooms and other individual services that may be or become important to you and your business.

Once these initial, key points have been clarified to your satisfaction, the next, very important step is: Visit the business center or co-working space of your choice in person.

This is because there are many aspects that may be important to you personally, which you will only be able to see and form your own impression of once you’re there. For example:

• the atmosphere in the business center or co-working space,
• your first impression of the on-site service team – who will later be looking after you, your staff, your customers and visitors,
• how easy it is to get there (including by public transport) and how easy it is to find the address, entrance and reception,
• the parking situation,
• the appearance of the building as a whole,
• the layout of communal areas and offices,
• how interactions with other clients in the business center or co-working space feel, and
• how competent, tailored to your needs and open the on-site advice is

During a viewing (center tour), you can then straight away

• Choose your ideal office.
• Agree on the furnishings, number and position of the workstations.
• Find out how soon you can get started.
• Find out about opening hours and access times – including when services are provided.
• Set the contract term flexibly.
• Negotiate special terms whilst still retaining flexible notice periods.
• Ask whether you can bring your own furniture, if applicable.
• Check whether there is natural light in the rented offices, conference rooms, seminar rooms and meeting rooms. (This is a legal requirement in Germany for permanent workspaces.)
• Enquire about ergonomic office furniture, such as height-adjustable desks, if this is important to you.
  
   

NO GOs and IMPORTANT to know and or bear in mind are additional:

(This applies equally to renting a private office and to renting a co-working space, if you use the address as a business address or registered office)

There are differences between a simple business address (ideal for freelancers, self-employed professionals and dependent branches) and a registered office address, which is also eligible for entry in the commercial register, transparency register and trade register (for all types of limited companies, independent branches, sole traders subject to registration, etc.):

For registered office solutions (e.g. for limited companies), in addition to postal accessibility, a fixed, contractually defined use of workspace must also be agreed upon in order to carry out the tasks determining the company’s fortunes at the registered office. Depending on the federal state, other requirements that must be met include a company sign at the entrance and on the letterbox, and, where applicable, lockable cupboard space within the office premises for the company’s documents. Errors in this regard are usually spotted by the auditor during the very first on-site tax audit at the registered office and can, amongst other things, complicate, delay or even prevent the allocation of a tax number, etc., and thus hinder your start-up. Furthermore, the tax office tends to make a note of such breaches.

To use the address as a business address or registered office, you must also provide the details required under the Money Laundering Act, along with personal identification, Post-Ident or other verification methods recognized by the authorities. Avoid business center or co-working spaces that provide you with their address without complying with these statutory requirements. Even if this involves a little extra effort before signing the contract, it protects you and your business from unpleasant consequences and, in this regard, from criminal co-users at your new office and business address.

The tenancy must be commission-free for you. Estate agent’s fees or commissions for platforms or brokers through which you made your enquiry should always be borne by the business center or co-working space provider.

Even if you’d much prefer to avoid it, a security deposit is important, as it not only protects your new office landlord or workspace provider from financial losses, but ultimately protects you as well. After all, what good is it to choose a provider who is careless in this regard, who then has to file for insolvency due to unsecured bad debts from their customers, or who kicks you out, locks you out or suspends services at the slightest delay in payment on your part? A reasonable and market-standard security deposit for a business center or co-working space with reputable providers is equivalent to three gross monthly fees.

Now all you need to do is check off individual points that are important to you personally, such as whether it’s dog-friendly, owner-managed, LGBTQ-friendly, has disabled-accessible entrances and toilets, local supply situation, outdoor areas for use, and so on.

Once all the above points have been ticked off, you’ll have found the best business center or co-working space in your city for you and can sign a contract – which should be limited to between 2 and a maximum of 4 pages plus the terms and conditions – and get started straight away.