What's actually included in a serviced office?
A serviced office is quoted as one monthly figure per desk that bundles the rent, outgoings, utilities, internet, cleaning, furniture, reception and building access into a single bill. What sits outside that figure varies by operator and is where the surprises live: meeting rooms beyond an included credit, printing, dedicated bandwidth, car parking, after-hours air-conditioning, and signage. The comparison that matters is not the headline desk rate but the desk rate plus the things you will actually use every month.
Excluding GST. From 2,106 priced suites across 43 operators listed on Sidespace, updated continuously.
- Almost always included
- Rent, outgoings, utilities, wifi, cleaning, furniture, reception, kitchen.
- Usually a credit, then billed
- Meeting rooms and printing.
- Usually extra
- Car parking, dedicated internet, after-hours HVAC, signage, storage.
- Quoted as
- A monthly figure per desk, excluding GST.
- What to compare
- Desk rate plus your real monthly meeting-room use.
What the monthly rate covers
The point of a serviced office is that one number replaces about a dozen. In a conventional lease you would separately arrange and pay for rent, your share of building outgoings, electricity, internet, cleaning, furniture, fitout, and reception cover. In a serviced office those are bundled and billed monthly.
That bundle is why a serviced desk rate looks expensive beside a commercial rent per square metre. They are not comparable figures: one is a rent, the other is a rent plus everything it takes to occupy the space.
What sits outside the rate
Meeting rooms are the usual surprise. Most operators include a monthly credit — a number of hours — and bill beyond it. If your team runs client meetings several times a week, that is a real line item and it belongs in the comparison, not in the footnotes.
The others to ask about are car parking, which is almost always priced separately and is often the scarcest thing in the building; dedicated internet, where the included wifi is shared and a private connection costs more; after-hours air-conditioning, charged by the hour outside building hours; and signage in the lobby or on your suite door.
The questions worth asking before you sign
Ask what the meeting-room credit is and what the hourly rate is beyond it. Ask whether the desk rate is per desk or per suite, because a six-person suite priced per suite behaves very differently when your headcount changes. Ask what happens at renewal, and whether the rate is held or reviewed. Ask whether you can move to a larger suite in the same building mid-term, and on what terms.
None of these are unusual requests and every operator we deal with answers them. Getting them in writing before you sign is what stops a good-value office becoming an expensive one.
Common questions
Is internet included in a serviced office?
Are meeting rooms free in a serviced office?
Is GST included in a serviced office quote?
Does the price include car parking?
General information only. This guide explains how office leasing usually works in Australia. It is not legal, financial or tax advice, it does not take account of your circumstances, and lease terms and legislation change. Get advice on your own lease before you sign it.
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