1. What is office sharing?
When a person or a company has unused office space that they wish to rent to another person or company in exchange for a regular payment.

2. Does it cost anything to advertise on OfficeShare?
Registration and all listings are completely free, so if you don't find a tenant it costs nothing. There is absolutely no risk in advertising on OfficeShare as OfficeShare will only charge you if you successfully fill your empty space as a result of our introduction. And because you will receive a deposit and the initial payment from your new tenant before you pay us our fee, you will never be out of pocket and will start to see a profit from day one.

OfficeShare offers two charging systems so you can choose the one most suitable for you:
A. Single payment on completion. When an individual (or group, depending on what you offered) agrees to take your space, OfficeShare will invoice you for a single payment the same amount as the monthly rental fee advertised on OfficeShare. There are no further payments and you take care of all the billing for your new tenant.
B. Monthly payments. If you prefer our Managed Solution, OfficeShare will take care of all billings for your new tenant(s) for the duration of their occupancy. For this service we charge 15% of the monthly rental fee advertised on OfficeShare.

3. What are the benefits of sharing my office space?
The biggest benefit is the extra money it brings in. This is a potentially lucrative new revenue source that is especially welcome in these difficult business times.

Also, many businesses like to share the office with others offering services that they can use, often at preferential rates. This is more convenient and can help to keep overheads down. It also helps them gain a better understanding, and greater experience of some skills and services that they use frequently to enable better negotiations with suppliers.

Besides this, some companies are unhappy to see empty office space just sitting there gathering dust. Both financially and environmentally, it makes sense to utilise this space so that the office does what it was built to do - house active, productive businesses.

Ultimately, it shows that you are doing your job well. Anyone in charge of running a business needs to ensure that they make the most of one of their most expensive overheads - the office. It makes sound business sense to maximise profit by using all the resources and opportunities available to you.

5. What are the legal issues with office sharing?
If you lease the premises you should ask your landlord if they are happy to allow you to let desk space. As it may mean you are more likely to stay on at their premises and pay rent on time they should be fine with this. If the leases excludes sub-letting you may have to try something different like a "tenancy at will" agreement to enable you to let desk space. Just contact us if you need any help or advice with this.

4. What should I charge for spare desk(s)?
Charges vary enormously by region - and even the location within a region, so ask around to get an idea of what other businesses charge. If you get stuck just contact us and we will give you a guide. Keep things basic and only include the essentials as part of the monthly rent (see point 7).

6. What additional overheads are there?
You are unlikely to incur any costs from sharing your office - it depends on how much you wish to include with the charge. Broadband, security, cleaning, heating, electricity etc. is usually a shared cost across the entire office; you will probably have a desk, pedestal and chair, so unless you chose to add free water, tea and coffee or phone calls you just take a clear profit from the deal. Think carefully of what impact new people will have on your costs before deciding what to charge.

7. What other things should I include in the rent?
Someone considering an office share is often trying to avoid the complications that go with renting a serviced office; they usually travel light and aren't looking for a lot. Keep it basic and be clear about what you are offering as part of the rent. As a basic package you should offer:

• A desk.
• A proper office chair.
• Broadband internet access.
• At least one power point socket.
• A pedestal (preferably lockable).
• A wastebasket.
• Cleaning of desk area and wastebasket emptying.
• Toilet facilities.

The better the quality of these items the more likely you are to get a good rate and let the space quickly. The use of meeting room facilities is often seen as a real benefit, so if yours are underused you may wish to include this. If there are no refreshments available nearby, a space (or kitchen) with a kettle for making tea or coffee or a vending machine and water cooler are popular.

Items that are not generally included are:

• A phone line and handset. Billing can be tricky, so it's often easier to ask them to use their mobile (let them know if there's a good signal) or Skype.
• Insurance cover. It is worth recommending that they have their own all-risks contents insurance to cover the possible theft of any of their items from your office.
• Printing. Networking to the office printer can cause complications and it's difficult to know how much paper and ink they're using. It may be simpler to provide a suitable location for a small personal printer and ask them to bring their own.
• Photocopying. Modern all-in-one printers are inexpensive and have a scan/copy printing facility so it might be good to recommend one of these. Alternatively, if they already have a printer, a separate scanner is cheap to buy and can act as a photocopier.
• A computer and monitor. They will need to provide their own IT equipment and laptops are most frequently used.
• IT support. They would be expected to set up their own PC (email, printer, backup etc.) and resolve their own IT problems.

8. Do I need office sharers to sign a contract?
We strongly recommend it as it can avoid any disagreements and you will probably find that they will ask for one anyway. It is also important to make office sharers aware of any office policies that may not be in the contract but which you expect them to adhere to before they sign an agreement. The contract should include as much of the following information as possible:

• Their full name, address (you may want them to provide evidence of this) and full contact details.
• The monthly cost.
• What the cost includes (be specific).
• Any compulsory insurance requirements
• The start date (when they move in).
• Office access hours.
• How they pay you (cheque, money transfer or standing order and on what day of the month).
• Any deposit and the terms for its recovery.
• The notice periods for both parties.
• Any grounds for termination of the contract.

A welcome pack containing your office policies and other useful information about your company, the office and the local area is a nice thing to present to them when they arrive. It could include information on issues such as:

• Requirements and recommendations concerning office security and personal belongings.
• Excessive noise and disturbances.
• Special considerations concerning visitors (esp. children) to the office (e.g. the use of reception - especially if no office phone is available).
• Expectations of levels of cleanliness and tidiness.
• Health and safety regulations and first aid procedures.
• Cleaning, recycling and non-standard office waste procedures.
• Mail, courier and delivery procedures
• Bulk photocopying and colour laser printing charges (another way to make a small profit!)
• Car parking and bike storage.
• Local sandwich shops, bars, cafés and restaurants.
• Any discounts on local facilities they could take advantage of.
• Local gyms.
• Nearby transport links.
• Disabled access.

9. What are the access and security issues of office sharing?
They are really no different to those of your full time employees. Anyone sharing your office would expect to be, and should be, treated just like any other employee (except they don't report to you!). When taking on any new staff you would make a judgement about their honesty and integrity and an office sharer should be no different. You will have their full address and contact details, a deposit and probably bank details (from payment arrangements) so they should be easy to locate if anything does go wrong.

They should have at least the same degree of access as a regular employee and be able to come and go freely. Depending on your office security, you may need to give them a key or pass to gain entry easily and, as some independent workers work late and at weekends, you should consider allowing them 24/7 access if at all possible.