Are serviced offices the answer for small businesses? Well, let’s first look at what exactly serviced offices are. A serviced office, also known as an ‘executive suite’ or 'executive space', is a commercial property or office that is fully equipped and managed by a facility management company. The management company will then rent... Read More
I was recently looking at a property investment article, in the Financial Times, regarding all aspects of commercial property. It was dated 1995 and the headline read, 'Commercial Property Is RED HOT!' They were indeed 100 percent correct. I know this because I myself burnt my fingers on the commercial property market. The headline... Read More
From the recent recession, a wide range of new commercial mortgages have surfaced, with the key aim of stimulating the credit-crunched commercial property market. These products are aimed at owner-occupied businesses and investors and are designed to reduce pressure on cash flow by offering flexible repayment options, with a less stringent... Read More
Three of the UK’s best-known high street retailers have suffered a sharp drop in sales, fuelling concerns for the immediate prospects of the retail sector. According to figures recently published for the last quarter, Laura Ashley saw a 4.2% drop in UK like-for-like sales, Dixons reported a 7% fall, while Mothercare’s sales contracted... Read More
If your commercial property has asbestos anywhere within its structure you’ll probably know how important it is for you to take the appropriate precautions when working with the material. Nowadays, most commercial property owners will be aware of the issues surrounding this material that was so commonly used in everything from cement and... Read More
A seems that a lot of residential properties are being converted into commercial properties for use as offices or serviced offices. Conversely, a huge amount of commercial properties, in the docklands etc are being turned into residential properties. Doesn’t really seem to make any sense. But if you look a little deeper then you can see why... Read More
In today’s fast shrinking economy we really have to think of ways to save on our dead costs. Remember the old saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” well it has never been more true than now. Whether we own our own commercial property or rent serviced office space we have to try and think of ways to either cut costs or maximise the... Read More
When looking at commercial property and serviced offices people often forget to look at “the Virtual Office”. In fact the very term itself is often misunderstood and many confuse it with a serviced office. It is not the same thing. Whereas a serviced office gives a full range of services including actual full-time office space,... Read More
I spend a lot of time worrying about the cost of commercial property or whether or not I should be using a serviced office or buy my own, but what I haven’t done, up to now, is think about how to furnish my office. We all spend lots of time, money and energy thinking about the best and most innovative ways to furnish our house, apartment or... Read More
Since first being formulated in early 2000, Sheffield’s Heart of the City project has overseen much commercial progress and continues to advance at great pace. The scheme was designed to help regenerate the centre of this great steel producing city and gear it towards a commercial, rather than industrial revolution. A major part of this... Read More
When people measure the cost of using commercial property or serviced offices they often use a “Cost per Workstation.” This is the basic cost, based on rent, maintenance costs, property taxes, and other factors. Hong Kong had the world’s most expensive office space last year, overtaking the previous year’s leader, London’s West... Read More
It is true that commercial property is in a state of flux or even on a downward trend but it is still expensive. Even serviced offices can cost a fortune if you are not careful. So it stands to reason that one of the best ways to save money in today’s rough economic climate is to maximise the space that we have. And by this I don’t only... Read More
Commercial property owners and investors are being struck by the falling values of their properties. According to fresh research the majority of UK property specialists believe that commercial property valuations will fall or stabilise over the next 12 months. It was established that of those surveyed, over half expected property... Read More
Do you need to buy your own commercial property or even rent a serviced office? I ask this because of the recent trend to work from home. But before one can answer this question one has to take a few factors into account. Firstly one should look at the purely practical side of things. By this I mean; is it possible in a purely physical sense?... Read More
It used to be that I loved working in the city…but now, as the middle age years creep up on me, I have started to yearn for the quiet of the country. And so I started to search for the perfect village to buy in. I wanted picture postcard England, all thatch, beamed pub and humpback bridges over chuckling streams – Oh, and also close to... Read More
Does one even need to have a space in a commercial property or a serviced office? That seems like a strange question but let’s think about it. If you spend most of your life on the road then all you would need is some sort of storage at work and probably a part-time office area. What got me thinking about this was a product that I saw... Read More
Fanfare please! Hong Kong is now home to the most expensive serviced offices in the world. Figures released for 2010 show the average annual occupancy price per workstation is £13,730, a 31% increase from 2009, when London’s West End occupied the top spot. London was overtaken despite registering a 4% rise, to £12,396 per... Read More
As companies downsize due to the economy or small companies are started due to redundant ex-employees starting their own businesses the demand for smaller commercial property or serviced offices is becoming greater. On a recent trip that I did across England I noticed, for the first time, how many farms are offering small business units... Read More
Retail therapy is established, if not medically then at least statistically, as one of Britain's favourite pastimes. A prescription of retail development, administered to towns and cities, will have an equally remedial effect, promoting recovery and stimulating growth in the local economy. Stratford in East London is a prime example.... Read More
According to the Office for National Statistics, in March 2011 there were over 2 million enterprises in the UK registered for VAT/PAYE, which is a decrease of 2.4% compared to the figures for the same period in 2009. However, with the country now said to be in recovery, many businesses will be looking to expand premises and as a property... Read More
With the country facing uncertain times ahead this year, what is the state of the Commercial Property Market in Stockport? Over the last 3 months the Commercial Property market seemed to be stabilising and started to show signs of recovery, so was their anything in the 2011 budget which could have any effect on the Commercial Property... Read More
Sclerotic planning application processes can sometimes leave commercial property professionals feeling as if they are trapped in the numerological nightmare of Room 101. Those seeking salvation should head five doors down and knock at number 106, for Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 could well be their saviour When... Read More
