Managed Offices - Explained
Mistaken identity
For an industry that should be relatively simple, office providers have somehow made their various product offerings impossible to understand.
This is especially true for the generic-sounding ‘managed’ workspace category, where Frameworks exists. In an effort to add clarity (and light-hearted fun), we've tried to explain how we would define a managed office.
Serviced, Leased, Managed
There are three core types of workspace: serviced, leased, and managed. Each offers a different balance of amenity, flexibility, and ownership—catering to occupiers that range from solo freelancers to global businesses with complex requirements.
Serviced offices are usually shared buildings where you rent desks or rooms on a short-term basis. These spaces typically include communal meeting facilities, kitchens, lounges, and reception services, all wrapped into a single monthly fee. They’re ideal for speed and convenience, but the offices can feel impersonal and won’t capture your brand identity.
Leased offices are traditional long-term spaces rented directly from a landlord. You’re typically responsible for everything: fit-out, furniture, cleaning, utilities, and ongoing management. They offer total control, but are time-consuming, capital-intensive, and inflexible.
Managed offices sit between serviced and leased, although the occupier experience closer resembles a serviced space. You get a private, fully customised space that’s designed and delivered for you, with all services wrapped into one monthly fee. It’s entirely yours, but without the hassle of managing it yourself.
We believe that the key criteria to identify as managed include:
Self-contained — Your own front door, meeting rooms, kitchen and breakout areas. A dedicated space for your team and your culture.
Move-in ready — Already designed, built and furnished for you. No setup required, no delays—just plug in and go. Whether it's desks, meeting rooms or breakout areas, everything is in place so you can be operational from day one.
Flexible terms — Typically 12–36 months, and always delivered on a licence. Long enough to feel like home, short enough to stay agile. Ideal for businesses in growth mode or navigating change.
All-inclusive — One monthly fee covering everything: rent, bills, fit-out, cleaning, maintenance, and even IT infrastructure and support. No hidden costs, no juggling suppliers—just clarity and simplicity.
Beware managed imitations
Confusion usually stems from products that can be mislabelled as "managed".
Some serviced offices offer "enterprise floors". These might offer you greater privacy or branding, but they’re still part of a shared environment and not a fully-fledged HQ.
On the other hand, some leases offer “bolt-on” packages that include basic fit-outs and a managing agent. On the surface, this might resemble a managed solution—but you're still signing a conventional lease, taking on liability, and coordinating multiple suppliers.
Why choose managed?
Inevitably this will be laced with a little bias, but at Frameworks we genuinely believe that managed offices are the sweet spot.
Managed space is best suited to companies that understand the value of a bespoke, branded, and private HQ—and the positive impact it can have on team culture, performance, and perception. It’s for businesses that want a space that reflects who they are, without being pulled into the laborious complexities of managing it themselves.
Many companies mature out of serviced space—or want to escape the burdens of a lease. They’ve realised that unless they’re large enough to justify an in-house real estate or facilities team, they’re better off outsourcing the entire operation. With a managed solution, they get the benefits of ownership without the operational drag.
It allows them to focus fully on what they do best, with the confidence that their workspace will support them now—and flex with them in the future.
Managed offices are much more than a lease with furniture