How To Rent an Office or Workspace for the Month, Day (or even by the Hour!)

Whether you’re a freelancer itching for a place to work other than your sofa or local Starbucks, a startup company looking for a quiet and professional place to hold meetings, or a group looking for a space to hold a reading, a rehearsal, a book club, a photoshoot, there are some brilliantly convenient and affordable options for us! Check out seven fast and easy places to book a space of one’s own.

I was inspired to write this article after using a Breather space in Chicago to conduct an interview. Breather is an ideal option for booking a private work space or meeting room by the hour. A major bonus is that you get the entire space to yourself for the designated time. I also love how they work to create spaces that fit each local aesthetic and even incorporate decor from local shops and designers. Breather spaces can be booked online or by using their handy app (shown above). Breather is currently available throughout Canada and the US, with plans to expand internationally in the coming months. Check out their Instagram to see the different ways people are using Breather spaces, for everything from meetings, to photoshoots, to quiet work spaces.

The Washington Post praises MakeOffices as a wonderful option for “everyone from [angel investors] and [venture capitalists] to freelancers and budding entrepreneurs”. MakeOffices offers beautiful work spaces with fantastic amenities for short-term rentals. Users can choose private office spaces or open desks and contracts often include use of meetings spaces and location-specific bonuses (e.g., bike storage, networking events, mail delivery, even guided meditation practice, which was covered by a Washington Post article).

ShareDesk is similar to Airbnb in that people can search a database of available spaces and also list out their spaces. The site offers a global directory of open spaces that are rentable by the month, day, and even hour. Users simply input their requirements using filters and ShareDesk shows all available spaces. Once users book a space, they arrange check-in specifics with a host.

OFIXU’s motto is “book any office anywhere”, including cities where open office space can be hard to come by, like Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Manhattan. OFIXU also has travelers in mind, as they’ve cooked up some helpful City Guides to familiarize visitors with city-specific business districts.

Desktime is a comprehensive shared spaces and co-working directory that provides affordable options (e.g., $20/day) for workspace. There are currently daily and monthly options, as well as a “Deskpass” option, which gives users access to all of Desktime’s co-working spaces for a monthly membership. I also love that they include options like “Pet Friendly” and “Open 24 Hours” in their filters, as the way of the freelancer often involves late nights and pets.

Key to Office is currently available in Europe, and offers private offices as well as co-working spaces, and larger meeting, coaching, and seminar rooms. Spaces are available from hourly to monthly and can be booked online 24 hours in advance.

For our London friends! Hubble offers short-term office space throughout London, from the central business district to other areas, such as Camden, Islington, and Shoreditch. Users can create a profile based on the number of desks they need, location, and duration, and review a database of available spaces. (PS: I very much enjoy the above photo of a man using an office space to give an impassioned presentation to no one. Maybe he’s rehearsing?)