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What should I ask when touring a coworking space?
Fourteen questions that surface the things a tour is designed not to show you.
A tour shows you the good chair and the coffee machine. These are the
questions that surface everything else. Ask them out loud, on the tour, and
watch how readily each is answered.
About the space
- How many members, and how many desks? The ratio tells you whether a hot
desk will actually be free at 10am on a Tuesday.
- What is it like at its busiest? Ask to visit then, not at 3pm on a
Friday.
- Where do people take calls? If the answer is "at their desk", and you
take calls, this is not your space.
- What happens when every phone booth is taken?
About the money
- What is the all-in monthly cost for how I would actually use it?
- Is parking included, and if not, what does it cost?
- How many meeting-room hours are included, and do they carry over?
- What is the notice period, and what happens to my deposit?
- Has the price changed in the last two years?
About the practicalities
- What are the actual access hours for my tier? "24/7" often means a
higher tier than the one being quoted.
- What is the guest policy, and is there a charge?
- Can I receive post and packages? Who signs for them?
- What is the internet like, and is there a wired option? Ask what happens
when it goes down.
- Who do I call at 7pm when the door code fails?
The one that matters most. Ask to speak to a member
who is not on staff. A space confident in its community will find you one in
about thirty seconds. A space that cannot has answered the question.
Terms on this page
- Phone booth
- A small enclosed space for calls, standard in modern coworking and usually the first thing to run out.
- Notice period
- How far in advance you must cancel, commonly 30 days for monthly memberships.
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