As we discussed while breaking down the costs involved with running London office space, there are several costs to consider aside from rent.

Service charges, usually expressed as a rate per square foot occupied (e.g.. £6.00 per sq ft per annum), are paid to landlords or managing agents for running multi let office buildings.

Common service charge items may include:

• Rubbish Collection
• CCTV
• Lightning Protection
• Pest Control
• Water Rates
• Electricity
• Cleaning Common Parts
• Lift Maintenance
• Telephones (Lift)
• Telephones (Security)
• Health and Safety
• Access Control Systems
• Air-conditioning
• Heating
• Security
• Fire Precautions
• General Maintenance
• Engineering Insurance
• Public Liability Insurance
• Building Management

An additional payment of £0.65 – £0.75 per ft² will be charged for Buildings Insurance.

The service charge elements will be slightly different, dependent upon the building – it depends exactly how they are run.