Terms and conditions for a serviced office or coworking space

A coworking space sells flexibility, and the document that governs it has to be flexible in the right direction: a licence to use space and services that can be moved, changed and ended on notice, not a lease of a room a member can occupy for years. The terms also have to run memberships, access, fair use, conduct and deposits for a community of businesses sharing one building. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Coworking spaces, serviced office operators, flexible workspace providers and business centres in England and Wales offering hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, meeting rooms and virtual office services to businesses and freelancers.

What matters in coworking terms

A licence, not a lease

The terms should grant a licence to use a desk or office and the shared facilities, keep the operator's right to move a member to an equivalent space, to access the space, and to change the layout and services, and make clear that no exclusive possession or tenancy is created. A business with exclusive possession under a lease could claim security of tenure under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, which a flexible workspace operator does not intend, so the arrangement has to be run as a licence as well as drafted as one.

Memberships, access and hours

The terms should define each membership: what space it buys, the hours of access, the number of people it covers, guest rights, meeting room credits and printing allowances, and how upgrades and downgrades work. Access cards and codes are personal, and the terms should say that sharing them is a breach and that the operator may suspend access for non-payment or misconduct.

Services, fair use and the building

Internet, phones, post handling and reception are provided as described with fair use limits, and the terms should say that outages of third-party services are outside the operator's control, that mail is held for a stated period, and that the building's rules, fire procedures and the landlord's regulations bind every member. Registered office and virtual office services need their own conditions, including what happens to mail and registration on exit, since a company's registered office must be an appropriate address under section 86 of the Companies Act 2006 and the operator will want the right to require its removal when the membership ends. The building's fire procedures are set under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and bind every member.

Conduct, community and ending

The terms should set house rules on noise, calls, cleanliness, guests and behaviour, give the operator the right to end a membership immediately for serious breach and on notice otherwise, and say that members are responsible for their belongings and for their guests. Either side should be able to end a membership on stated notice, with the deposit returned less deductions within a stated period.

Fees, deposits, data and liability

Fees are monthly in advance by direct debit with interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and suspension of access for non-payment. A deposit secures the space and is returned on exit less damage and unpaid charges. Member data is held under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 as the terms describe, and CCTV in shared areas should be disclosed. Liability should be capped at the fees paid over a stated period, with consequential loss and loss of members' property excluded save where caused by the operator's negligence, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A member says we cannot move them out of their office. Can we?

If the terms grant a licence to an equivalent space rather than a specific room and reserve the right to relocate, you can, with reasonable notice. A member with the same room for years under a document that reads like a lease is the risk the terms are designed to avoid.

Can we end a membership for behaviour that upsets other members?

If the terms include house rules and a right to end a membership for breach, immediately for serious breach, yes. Record the complaints and the warning.

Are we responsible for a laptop stolen from a desk?

If the terms say members are responsible for their belongings and the operator is liable only for loss caused by its own negligence, no. Do not describe the space as secure beyond what it is.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for serviced apartments
• Terms and conditions for a self storage business

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.