Most companies think about their next office too late. The smartest ones consider it years ahead.
At ADAPT, we work with ambitious growth businesses that want to stay one step ahead. That means rethinking your office workspace strategy before your current deal expires, not after.
When you delay, you lose options, negotiation strength and critically, the best value deals. And in today’s unpredictable office market, that could cost you a lot more than just rent.
In a world where flexibility, hybrid working, and location fluidity (across multiple team locations) are now the norm – not the exception – your workspace is no longer just a place to house your team. Your office is a strategic asset that can make or break your culture, talent, and growth plans.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Commercial Property Outlook Report, forward-thinking businesses are reassessing their office space strategies well in advance, with an eye on flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
Yet in our experience, most companies still wait until the last minute, or worse at the point of expiry and beyond. At that point, your choices are already limited – and you’ve handed all the power to market forces.
A recent report from office design and build specialists Oktra suggests the optimal time to begin a new office lease search is 12–18 months before lease expiry, and when it comes to finding the best opportunity, it’s worth treating your office requirement as ‘always on’, ready to adapt as your team’s needs evolve to maximise efficiency.
If your office is on ‘licence’ terms (as many are), the typical notice period is three months. This means ideally, you should start the search for your next office at least six months before your agreement ends to give yourself the best chance of finding the right space without rushing. Leaving it until your lease is nearly up (or much worse, already expired!) puts you on the back foot and limits your options.
Therefore, key strategic discussions about workspace should happen internally every quarter. Modern office planning is about more than square footage. It’s about experience, brand, team behaviour, and future plans. All of that takes time, needs regular rethinking, and shouldn’t be left until the last minute.
Office planning should always be fluid, flexible and forward-thinking. It literally never pays to leave it too late.
McKinsey’s latest findings on commercial property make it clear: the old assumptions no longer apply. Office demand in global cities is projected to fall by up to 20% from 2019 levels by 2030.
Meanwhile, flexible and hybrid workspace models are becoming the default – especially in dynamic, fast-paced markets like London, where availability, location quality, licence, and lease terms can shift quickly.
What does that mean for you?
- Leaving it too late could mean overpaying, overcommitting, or missing out entirely
- Prime London space is still fiercely competitive, especially for agile, short-term contracts
- Hybrid isn’t going anywhere – your team want spaces that support their rhythm, not just yours
- And AI-driven portfolio optimisation means landlords are getting savvier about pricing and utilisation too. So you need to play smart.
Companies that move early and engage proactively with their office provider and property partner (whether commercial property/ office space agency, broker or internal representative) will always get better terms, better spaces, and better deals. This is the ADAPT way.
Workspace is now a growth tool, not a static cost
Think of your next office not as a line item, but as a cultural lever, a recruitment magnet, and a scalable platform for the next phase of your business.
As explored in our recent post: Looking for your next office in 2025?, over 60% of UK businesses regret their office choice within the first year. Usually, because they didn’t plan ahead, or didn’t have the right partner to find them the right office.
At ADAPT, we help you avoid that pain entirely. Our approach means:
- Access to exclusive, off-market spaces across London and beyond
- Data-led, future-proofed options that scale with your team
- Smarter financial structuring and licence & lease negotiations
- Workspaces that attract and retain top-tier talent
We’re not just about reacting to your current brief – we’re helping you design an office strategy for the company you’ll be 1–5 years from now.
We don’t wait for the call that says: “Our lease is up next quarter, can you help?”
We start the conversation much earlier. We get to know your business, your ambitions, your model of work. We proactively track the market and surface opportunities that align to your trajectory. Not just your square footage.
Because by the time you “need” a new office, the best opportunities are already gone. The market has moved. Your team is frustrated. Your finance team is scrambling. Don’t do that to yourself.
Work with ADAPT, before you need to
Talk to us now. Not when your licence or lease is nearly up. Not when you’re suddenly scaling. Not when your COO (or angry Founder/ CEO, with pressure from the board!) tells you your office is no longer fit for purpose.
We believe in long-term relationships and get to know every business we work with, implicitly. We always help you stay ahead – because that’s how successful businesses win.
We asked our CEO & Co-Founder, Chris Meredith for his thoughts, he said:
“Too many businesses leave their next office move decision until it’s too late. When the lease is nearly up, the options are limited, and all your negotiating power is gone. But the smartest operators start planning 12–18 months out. They treat workspace like a growth tool, not a line item. Whether you’re on a lease or a rolling licence, the moment you wait too long, you lose optionality, and often overpay as a result.
At ADAPT, we believe smart office workspace strategy should always be active, not reactive. We partner with growth businesses early, track the market in real time, and bring you off-market spaces and hidden gems you’ll simply never find last-minute. If you’re serious about scaling, attracting talent, and staying agile, then the conversation about your next space should start now, not when you’re already outgrowing your current one.”
Chris Meredith, Co-Founder, ADAPT Workspace
