How to lease office space in the UK? Agree the main terms in writing first, check whether the lease keeps or excludes your 1954 Act renewal rights, read the repair and break clauses, and only then sign. The rent is one line of many: service charge, business rates, insurance and VAT decide what the office really costs you.
This guide follows the process step by step, using the RICS lease code and GOV.UK guidance as the rulebook, and shows real offices to lease on Wezoo with their figures exactly as the listings give them. If you would rather compare flexible options too, start with our overview of private offices in the UK.
Wezoo snapshot: offices to lease in the UK
- 52 addresses list 109 offices on a conventional lease, in London and Glasgow
- Listed rent: from £356 to £25,625 per month, exclusive of VAT
- Listed sizes: from about 27 m² to about 381 m²
- 983 locations with private offices across the UK, most of them serviced
For an overview of every option, see the full list of private offices in the United Kingdom.
How to lease office space: what does it mean in the UK?
Leasing an office means renting a defined part of a building from a landlord for a fixed term, under a written lease that sets out who pays for what. Most of your obligations come from that document. As GOV.UK puts it in its guide for tenants, you have some responsibilities by law, but most depend on what the lease says, and anything the lease does not mention usually falls to you.
Two pieces of law shape almost every English and Welsh office lease. Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives business tenants security of tenure, and the RICS Code for Leasing Business Premises sets the standard for how the deal is negotiated. The code has been in force since 1 September 2020 and binds RICS members acting for either side.
Glasgow works differently. How to lease office space in Scotland follows the same logic, but Scottish property law, Scottish business rates and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax replace their English counterparts, so read every step below with that in mind if your office is north of the border.
How are the costs of an office lease built up?
Before you decide how to lease office space, decide what you can pay for all of it. UK office rent is quoted per sq ft per year, exclusive of everything else. On top come four lines. A service charge pays for the common parts of the building. Business rates go to the local council. Insurance is often recharged by the landlord. And VAT is added if the landlord has opted to tax the building, which is why the RICS code asks heads of terms to state whether VAT will be charged on the rent.
Business rates catch many first-time tenants out. The GOV.UK introduction to business rates confirms they apply to most non-domestic properties, offices included, that your council sends the bill each year, and that relief schemes may reduce it. Wezoo listings show the estimate where the landlord publishes one, for example £12.52 per sq ft per year at 2 Lant Street at the small business multiplier.
A new lease can also carry tax at the start. The GOV.UK Stamp Duty Land Tax guide lists buying a new or existing leasehold among the transactions where SDLT is paid in England and Northern Ireland, above the thresholds; Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax instead. Ask your solicitor to run the figure before you sign.
Term, breaks, the 1954 Act and notice: how to lease office space step by step
Here is how to lease office space in six steps, in the order the RICS code and GOV.UK guidance put them. Skip one and you tend to pay for it at the end of the lease rather than the start.
Step 1: define the brief
Most advice on how to lease office space starts with the property. Start with your business instead. Write down headcount, size, budget per month for all costs together, move-in date and how long you can commit. A lease is a long promise. Size it for the team you expect in two years, not the one you have today.
Step 2: shortlist and view
Compare offices on the full cost, not the headline rent. Ask each landlord for the service charge, the rates estimate, the insurance recharge and the VAT position. A cheap rent with a heavy service charge can cost more than a dearer floor next door.
Step 3: agree heads of terms
Under the RICS lease code, the deal must be recorded in written heads of terms marked subject to contract. As a minimum they cover the premises, the length of term and whether the 1954 Act applies, break and renewal rights, rent and rent reviews, VAT, rent-free periods, service charge and insurance, rights to assign or sublet, repairs, alterations and permitted use. If you have no surveyor, the other side must tell you about the code and recommend professional advice.
Step 4: check the 1954 Act position
A lease inside the Act gives you, broadly, a right to a new lease at expiry. Section 38A of the Act lets both sides agree to exclude that protection, provided they follow the statutory procedure before the lease is signed. Contracted-out leases are common for short terms. Neither is wrong; just know which one you are signing.
Step 5: review the draft lease
Read the repairing clause first; it is the clause that most guides on how to lease office space underplay. A full repairing and insuring lease puts repairs and insurance costs on you, and the GOV.UK guide for business tenants warns that on moving out you may have to pay for dilapidations, the repairs needed to return the property to its original state. Then check break dates, alterations, and whether you can assign or sublet if the team changes.
Step 6: sign and complete
Expect a rent deposit or guarantee, the first quarter’s rent, any SDLT or LBTT and the fit-out costs in the first weeks. Diarise every date in the lease on the day you sign: rent reviews, break notices and the expiry. Missed dates are the most expensive mistake in commercial property, and the last lesson in how to lease office space well.
Worked examples from offices on Wezoo
The figures below come straight from the Wezoo listings, in the landlord’s own unit and exclusive of VAT. They show how differently the same rent line can behave once service charge and rates are added. Capacity is the listing’s estimate, not a promise of layout.
Notice the lease types as well. Knowing how to lease office space is partly knowing which lease you are being offered: a new lease direct from the landlord, a full repairing and insuring lease, or flexible terms.
6 offices to lease in London and Glasgow
1. 2 Lant Street — London
A self-contained office of about 56 m² (598 sq ft) on the upper ground floor with a demised meeting room, kitchenette, WC and street frontage, fitted to a high standard and ready to plug in. Rent £25,500 per year, about £2,125 per month. Service charge estimate £2 per sq ft per year, about £100 per month, giving an indicative monthly total of about £2,225 before rates. Business rates on top, estimated at £12.52 per sq ft per year. All figures excl. VAT. Offered on a new lease. Estimated capacity: about 5 workplaces.
Request 2 Lant Street on Wezoo →
2. 4 Golden Square — London
A 1st floor of about 135 m² (1,455 sq ft), fitted and furnished to Grade A+ with 16 workstations, a glazed boardroom, breakout areas and a new kitchen, plus a shared roof terrace. Rent £125 per sq ft per year, about £15,156 per month. Service charge about £14 per sq ft per year, about £1,698 per month. Business rates estimated at £36 per sq ft per year, about £4,365 per month. All figures excl. VAT. New lease directly from the landlord for a minimum of 3 to 5 years. An 8th floor penthouse of about 42 m² is offered on the same terms.
Request 4 Golden Square on Wezoo →
3. 48 Gray’s Inn Road — London
A bright, newly carpeted 3rd floor of about 70 m² (752 sq ft), open plan with a kitchenette, sash windows, air conditioning and a passenger lift; the entrance is on Baldwins Gardens. Rent £35 per sq ft per year, about £2,193 per month, exclusive of business rates, service charge, insurance and electricity. Conventional lease; short or long lets will be considered. Ask for the service charge and rates figures with your request. Estimated capacity: about 7 workplaces.
Request 48 Gray’s Inn Road on Wezoo →
4. 1 Bell Yard — London
Two floors in a Grade II listed building opposite the Royal Courts of Justice: about 63 m² on the mezzanine (about £2,215 per month) and about 165 m² on the 3rd floor (about £5,843 per month). Rent £39.50 per sq ft per year, service charge about £8 and business rates estimated at £18 per sq ft per year, all excl. VAT. New lease on flexible terms. Estimated capacity: about 6 and about 16 workplaces.
Request 1 Bell Yard on Wezoo →
5. 31 Old Compton Street — London
A 1st floor of about 70 m² (751 sq ft) with period sash windows, a private entrance, two WCs, a shower and a kitchenette inside the demise. Rent £57.50 per sq ft per year, about £3,599 per month. Service charge £2.50 per sq ft per year, about £156 per month. Business rates estimated at £25 per sq ft per year, about £1,565 per month. All figures excl. VAT. New full repairing and insuring lease for a term from 12 months. Estimated capacity: about 7 workplaces.
Request 31 Old Compton Street on Wezoo →
6. 193 Bath Street — Glasgow
A corner building by Blythswood Square with an existing fit-out, lift and secure entry, and parking at the rear. Suite 1 on the 2nd floor is about 91 m² (975 sq ft): rent £12.50 per sq ft per year, about £1,016 per month, plus a service charge of £4.40 per sq ft per year, about £358 per month, for an indicative monthly total of about £1,373. Business rates on top, figure on request, and all figures excl. VAT. A 1st floor of about 444 m² is also available. Estimated capacity: about 9 workplaces for Suite 1. Scottish lease law applies here.
Request 193 Bath Street on Wezoo →
Leasing or a serviced office: what is the difference in cost and commitment?
Part of knowing how to lease office space well is knowing when you need a lease at all. The two do not compare on one line. A conventional lease quotes a bare rent per sq ft per year and adds the service charge, rates, insurance and repairs on separate lines, usually for several years. A serviced office quotes one all-in monthly fee for a much shorter agreement.
| Point | Conventional lease | Serviced office |
|---|---|---|
| How the price is quoted | Rent per sq ft per year, plus separate costs | One monthly fee per office or desk |
| Typical commitment | Years, often with break dates | Months |
| Business rates and service charge | Paid on top | Usually included |
| Fit-out and furniture | Often yours to arrange | Ready to use |
| Repairs and dilapidations | Set by the lease, often on you | Handled by the operator |
| Security of tenure | Inside or outside the 1954 Act | Normally none |
Pay per sq ft to stay. Pay per desk to move. If your team could double or halve within two years, the shorter commitment usually wins on risk, even when the monthly figure looks higher. Our guide on how long a serviced office lease should be covers the flexible side, and office space to let in the UK compares both across six cities.
How do you find and request an office to lease on Wezoo?
Filter private offices by city, open a listing and read four things: the lease type, the size, the availability date and every cost line on top of the rent. Then send a request from the office page. Wezoo passes it to the landlord or agent, and the exact lease terms are confirmed with them, ideally through your own surveyor or solicitor.
That is how to lease office space without surprises: the right brief, written heads of terms, a clear view on the 1954 Act and a lease you have read before you sign it. A good request already states your move-in date, headcount and the term you can accept.
Ready to request your office in London?
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to lease office space in the UK?
It depends on the deal, but the order is fixed: agree heads of terms, then the lawyers draft and negotiate the lease, then you sign and complete. The RICS lease code makes the landlord responsible for having written, subject to contract heads of terms in place before the first draft lease goes out.
What are heads of terms for an office lease?
A written summary of the deal, marked subject to contract, that instructs the lawyers. Under the RICS Code for Leasing Business Premises it must cover at least the premises, term, break and renewal rights, rent, VAT, rent-free periods, service charge, repairs, alterations and whether the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 applies.
What does contracted out of the 1954 Act mean?
Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives business tenants in England and Wales security of tenure, broadly a right to a new lease at the end of the term. Section 38A lets landlord and tenant agree to exclude that protection, provided they follow the statutory procedure. A contracted-out lease ends at expiry with no automatic right to renew.
Who pays business rates on a leased office?
Usually the occupier. GOV.UK explains that business rates are charged on most non-domestic properties, including offices, and are billed by the local council each year. Several Wezoo listings show an estimated rates figure per sq ft on top of the rent; Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own systems.
Do I pay stamp duty on an office lease?
Possibly. GOV.UK lists buying a new or existing leasehold among the transactions that can trigger Stamp Duty Land Tax in England and Northern Ireland, above the thresholds. In Scotland the equivalent is Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. Ask your solicitor to check before you commit.
What is the first thing to do when you learn how to lease office space?
Write a brief before you view anything: headcount, size, total monthly budget, move-in date and the longest term you can accept. That brief decides which offices and which lease types are worth a viewing.
Is a serviced office a lease?
Usually not in the conventional sense. A serviced office is normally taken on a shorter agreement with an all-inclusive monthly fee, while a conventional lease puts rent, service charge, rates, insurance and repairs on separate lines for a longer term. Check the agreement you are offered.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Part II
- legislation.gov.uk: Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, section 38A
- RICS: Code for Leasing Business Premises, England and Wales, 1st edition
- GOV.UK: Renting a business property, tenant responsibilities
- GOV.UK: Business rates
- GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax
This article provides general information and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and change over time. Check your situation with a qualified solicitor, surveyor or accountant before you sign. Last reviewed: 10 November 2026.
