What to Look for When Touring a Flexible Office Space: A Practical Checklist

September 22nd 2026 | Workspace Advice

A flexible office can look brilliant online and still be completely wrong for your team.

Photos can show you the furniture, meeting rooms and communal spaces. What they can’t tell you is whether it’s noisy at 11am, whether you can actually book a meeting room when you need one, or whether the WiFi holds up during a busy working day.

That’s why touring a flexible office space matters.

If you’re still narrowing down your options, our guide to finding the perfect coworking space near you is a useful place to start.

Once you’ve got a shortlist, though, it’s time to look beyond the photos.

Why does your office tour matter more than the photos?

The best time to tour an office is when people are actually using it.

An empty workspace at 8am can feel peaceful and spacious. At 2pm, when calls are happening and meeting rooms are in use, you’ll get a much better idea of what working there is really like.

Things to notice:

Can you hear calls from neighbouring desks or offices?
Are people constantly walking through the area?
Are there genuinely quiet places to work?
Is there somewhere private to take a call?
Does the office still feel spacious when people are using it?

Then look at the things photographs tend to flatter.

Natural light. Desk spacing. Temperature. Privacy. The view from the desk you’d actually be sitting at.

It’s also worth stepping outside.

If you’re viewing workspace around Shoreditch or Old Street, walk the route from the station. See what’s nearby for lunch, coffee or client meetings.

A seven-minute walk can feel very different depending on the route, and those small details become part of your team’s working day.

The question to ask yourself: could we comfortably work here every week, rather than simply enjoying the tour?

What questions should you ask about flexibility, terms and cost?

“Flexible” means different things to different workspace providers.

Price is important, but it’s just as important to understand what happens if your needs change, whether that means adding desks, moving office or changing your agreement.

Questions worth asking

What’s the minimum contract term?
What’s the notice period?
Is there a deposit?
What happens when the agreement ends?
Can we add desks if the team grows?
Can we reduce space if our needs change?
Can we move into another office within the building?
Are there additional charges beyond the monthly fee?

That last point is particularly important. Two offices with similar headline prices can have very different actual costs once you include internet, utilities, cleaning, meeting rooms, furniture and business rates.

Our cost-effective guide to renting your first office space looks at those wider costs in more detail.

If you’re also considering a conventional commercial property, the government’s guidance on finding a business property is worth reading too.

By the end of the tour, you should have clear answers to three things:

What are we paying?
What are we committing to?
What happens if our requirements change?

If any of those answers are still vague, keep asking.

How do you assess the community, support and everyday amenities?

Almost every coworking space talks about its community.

The more useful question is: what’s it actually like to work here?

Look around while you’re touring. Do members seem comfortable approaching the onsite team? Are shared areas naturally being used? Does the atmosphere feel friendly without feeling forced?

For most people, a good workspace community isn’t about constant networking events.

It’s knowing there are other people around, having a team onsite when you need help, and being able to have a conversation without being expected to socialise every time you make a coffee.

If meeting people through your workspace matters to you, our guide to networking in a coworking environment has some practical advice.

Check the facilities you’ll actually use

Don’t just tick off a list of amenities. Find out how useful they are day-to-day.

Check:

Meeting rooms
Phone booths
Quiet working areas
Breakout spaces
Kitchen facilities
Printing
Bike storage
Showers and changing facilities
Storage

For meeting rooms, it’s worth asking how bookings work. A building might have five great meeting rooms, but that’s not much use if they’re rarely available when you need one.

If you regularly have clients visiting, think about their experience too. Check where they’ll arrive, whether someone will be there to welcome them, where they can wait and how easy it is to get them settled into a meeting room.

The right office should make the day-to-day easier for you and your team, not give you more things to manage.

What technology and security should you test during your visit?

“Fast WiFi” is easy to promise. It’s worth testing it for yourself.

Run a speed test from where your team would actually be working and, if reliable internet is essential to your business, ask what backup is in place if the main connection goes down.

Technology checklist

WiFi speed and reliability
Backup internet connection
Mobile signal
Power sockets
Meeting room screens
Video conferencing equipment
Room booking systems
Printing
IT support

It’s also worth testing the meeting room technology rather than just assuming everything will work when you need it.

Don’t overlook security. Look at how people enter the building and individual offices.

Ask about:

Access control
Out-of-hours access
CCTV
Visitor management
Private office locks
Secure storage
Meeting room privacy

If your business handles sensitive information, physical security isn’t the only consideration. Think about whether private conversations can easily be overheard too.

Our guide to essential private office security features covers this in more detail. You don’t need to know all the technical details. Ask how security and connectivity are handled, and make sure the setup works for your team.

What red flags should you watch for and how should you compare spaces?

After you’ve toured three or four offices, the details can quickly start to blur.

One had the great kitchen. Another had the roof terrace. Somewhere else had particularly good coffee. But which one offered the most flexible notice period? Which had room for your team to grow?

The things that stand out on a tour aren’t always the things that matter most once you move in.

The easiest solution is to decide what matters before you start touring. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Start with your non-negotiables

These might include:

A Shoreditch or Old Street location
Space for a specific team size
A maximum monthly budget
Flexible terms
Reliable WiFi
Private meeting rooms
Secure access
Room to grow

Step 2: Separate essentials from nice-to-haves

Then separate your non-negotiables from things that would simply be nice to have.

Step 3: Focus on what will genuinely matter to your business

A roof terrace might be a nice bonus, but the ability to add six desks as your team grows could be far more valuable.

It’s easy to be won over by an impressive feature, but don’t lose sight of the essentials. The right workspace isn’t just the one that impresses you on day one; it’s the one that still works for your business six months down the line.

Step 4: Compare every workspace on the same criteria

Score each space against:

Location
Total monthly cost
Contract flexibility
Noise and privacy
Technology
Security
Meeting space
Day-to-day support
Ability to scale

Step 5: Make your notes straight after each tour

Do it while everything is fresh, and be cautious if:

Pricing isn’t clear
Contract terms are difficult to explain
“Flexible” becomes less flexible when you ask questions
Meeting rooms already look overstretched
Maintenance issues are obvious
Internet performance is poor
Nobody can explain what happens if your team grows
The space feels strangely empty during a normal working day

None of these automatically rules a space out, but they should prompt another question.

Your flexible office tour checklist

Before you leave any viewing, make sure you’ve checked:

Location and journey from the station
Noise during normal working hours
Natural light and desk space
WiFi speed
Mobile signal
Meeting room availability
Phone booths and quiet areas
Total monthly cost
What’s included in that cost
Contract length and notice period
Options to scale up or down
Building and office security
Visitor experience
Onsite support
Facilities your team will actually use

Frequently asked questions about touring a flexible office space

What should I check first on a flexible office tour?

Start with the things that could immediately rule the office out: location, team capacity, cost, contract flexibility and the working environment. Once those basics work, look at meeting rooms, technology, facilities and the other extras that could make day-to-day work easier.

How long should an office tour take?

There’s no perfect length, but don’t rush it. Give yourself time to see the office, shared spaces and meeting rooms, then ask about pricing, contracts and flexibility. If you’re seriously considering the space, spend a few minutes simply observing how the building works during a normal working day.

What questions should I ask about flexible office contracts?

Ask about minimum terms, notice periods, deposits, price increases and exactly what’s included. Most importantly, ask what happens if you need more or less space. If you’re choosing flexible workspace because your business might change, the contract should genuinely support that.

How can I test WiFi and technology during a tour?

Connect to the network from the area you’re considering and run a speed test. Look at the meeting room equipment too. If connectivity is critical to your business, ask about backup internet and how quickly technical problems are usually resolved.

What are common red flags when viewing office space?

Watch for unclear pricing, vague contract answers, excessive noise, poor maintenance and unreliable technology. Also consider whether shared facilities look adequate for the number of people using the building. An amenity isn’t particularly useful if your team can never access it.

Should I tour more than one flexible office space?

Usually, yes. Seeing several spaces gives you a much clearer idea of what your budget buys. Just use the same criteria for every viewing so you’re comparing practical fit rather than choosing whichever office made the strongest first impression.

Choose the office that works on a normal Tuesday

It’s easy to picture the exciting bit: the first morning in a new office, everyone arriving, laptops open and coffee in hand.

A better test is to picture month six.

Can you still get a meeting room? Is the commute working for the team? Does the monthly bill still make sense? And if you’ve hired five more people, can the space grow with you?

Those are the details that turn a good-looking office into a good business decision.

If you’re considering flexible office space in Shoreditch or around Old Street, book a tour at The Brew and bring the checklist with you.

Test the WiFi. Look inside the meeting rooms. Ask the awkward questions.

That’s what the tour is for.