When thinking about where to set up your office rental, Dublin may be a location you felt was out of reach. However, you could be completely surprised by the affordable options that have become available in recent times, allowing even start-up businesses to benefit from a smart Dublin address.
What difference does it make? Actually, quite a lot. Being located in a premier location creates the impression of a strong business. With that said, here are some of the options that can make renting office space in Dublin affordable and simple:
1. Choose the office rental type that suits your needs
Times have changed considerably, and there are many more options for modern businesses when it comes to sorting out an office for your type of business. Some choices to consider include the following:
- Traditional lease – The most well known and popular choice. It is very simple and straightforward, but involves high costs. Monthly rental rates are entirely dependent on the real estate market which is driven by supply and demand. You will have to budget ahead for a large deposit, and you’ll have to pay additional amounts for utilities. Normally you will have to furnish and equip the office yourself, including setting up all the infrastructure.
- Serviced office – In this scenario, you are renting a private office in a shared location. It comes fully furnished, with all the necessary infrastructure in place to allow you to run your business effectively. Utilities and cleaning are not normally charged for separately, though individual provider companies may have different policies, so it’s best to check. Other advantages can include a premium business address, access to meeting rooms, phone answering services (there can be an extra cost for this, but it’s less than employing somebody full time to answer your phone), IT services, opportunities to network with fellow residents, and possibly parking as well. The main advantage is that there is no long term obligation. You rent the serviced office for as long as you need it, and you are usually free to end the agreement with as little as 30 days notice.
- Co-working space – Under this system, you would be working in a communal space with others. This is usually available on a “hot desk” or “dedicated desk” arrangement, with the difference being that a dedicated desk is yours for the duration of the agreement, while a hot desk is one you just use from day to day, but is not specially assigned to you. The co-working space is a good choice for people who prefer not to work in isolation, and would relish the chance to network with other entrepreneurs. Working in a co-working location can be interesting. You don’t necessarily see the same people every day, and you are surrounded by positive people all running their own businesses under one roof.
- Virtual office – This is a type of office that doesn’t involve physical office space. You’re just renting the mailing address, and you can collect mail sent to you or have it forwarded to you somewhere else. You can also add on other services such as phone answering and fax processing. The virtual office is a good choice for people who need a premium address, but don’t want to commute, don’t need access to high level IT and communications infrastructure.
2. Choose a location
Once you’ve decided what type of office rental will best suit your needs, it’s time to decide where it should be located.
This choice is going to be determined by where you are currently located, what your budget is, and how much importance you attach to the prestige factor of the business address. The most sought-after areas in Dublin include:
- Fitzwilliam Square
- Stella Gardens
- St Stephen’s Green
- Ranelagh
- Donnybrook
- Clontarf
- Rathgar
- Portobello
Of the above, Fitzwilliam Square is perhaps the most ideal in terms of the prestige to convenience ratio.
3. Putting it together
Now you know the type of rental and location you want, it would be lovely to say the final step is simply to find a provider of that rental type in that location. However, it’s not always that simple. You may find there are no providers for the location you want, or if there are, they may not be the providers you’re comfortable dealing with for one reason or another.
It’s highly recommended to look carefully at your options and choose the provider you feel will best meet your needs. Treat this decision as the important business decision that it is, and a premium Dublin office rental could be yours for much less than you expected.
