When your office lease is approaching a key date, the question looks simple: Do we stay where we are, or is it time to move?
But for most organisations, this isn’t really a property decision. It’s a business-performance decision. Your workplace affects culture, client perception, recruitment, retention, cost control and the ability to scale.
Yet most occupiers only look at a fraction of what actually matters — often because they don’t have a clear framework for the decision.
In this blog we give you a high-level overview of the key considerations.
👉 For the full picture, including checklists and scoresheets, our comprehensive Stay vs Go Guide is a practical, occupier-led framework to help you decide whether to renew, renegotiate or relocate.
1. Is your current space still supporting the way you work?
Hybrid working has changed office usage across the UK. Many businesses now have:
- Busy collaboration areas
- Oversubscribed meeting rooms
- Empty desk banks
- Tired or outdated areas affecting morale and brand perception
This mismatch can quietly drain performance.
But understanding how bad the mismatch really is, requires a more structured assessment.
👉 The full guide includes a Space Performance Scorecard template you can download and use to benchmark your own office.
2. What do your people actually need — not just what they say?
Anecdotal comments can be misleading. Some issues only show up when you look at usage patterns, behaviours and role-specific needs.
Common problem areas include:
- Noise and acoustics
- Privacy for focused or confidential work
- Poor environmental conditions
- Travel and amenity limitations
It’s easy to assume these can be fixed with a refresh — but that depends on constraints you might not see at first glance.
👉 Our comprehensive Stay vs Go Guide includes a ‘People Insights’ Checklist to help you identify which issues can be fixed in-place and which require relocation.
3. What does your lease really allow you to do?
Most occupiers underestimate how much flexibility they may have.
Key areas often overlooked:
- Break clauses and how they really function
- Renewal rights and obligations
- Opportunities for mid-term discussion with landlords
- How timing affects negotiation leverage
👉 Our full guide explains the timing traps, including when to start discussions to avoid losing leverage — something many businesses only realise too late.
4. What is the true cost of staying? (Not just the rent)
Occupiers often compare rent vs rent.
But the real cost picture includes:
- Service charges
- Energy performance
- Repairs and maintenance
- Dilapidations
- Productivity/space inefficiency
- Missed incentives you could negotiate
Without modelling all of these, it is almost impossible to make an informed decision.
👉 Get a cost-modelling worksheet when you download the full guide which you can use to directly compare staying vs moving costs.
5. When is moving actually worth the disruption?
Relocation comes with clear costs, but also strategic gains — especially as many occupiers are downsizing to smarter, higher-performing hubs.
Reasons companies choose to move include:
- Rebalancing space for hybrid working
- Improving energy efficiency
- Accessing better amenities
- Right-sizing to reduce waste
- Improving client-facing presence
👉 The full guide highlights the biggest hidden costs of moving — and how to negotiate contributions to offset them.
6. What’s happening in the market around you?
Across the market, we’re seeing:
- A flight to quality
- Higher expectations for amenities and sustainability
- Increased negotiation appetite from landlords
- Pressure on older, less efficient buildings
Understanding this context is crucial before making any decision.
👉 The full guide provides a concise market snapshot and explains what it means for occupiers like you.
7. How to make a confident, defensible Stay vs Go decision
The most successful businesses use three pillars:
- Data
- Financial modelling
- Strategic alignment
But occupiers often miss key elements that would dramatically change their outcome — or their negotiation leverage. 👉 The full guide brings everything together into one end-to-end decision framework.
Ready to make the right decision about your office?
Your next move deserves more than guesswork.
👉 Download our Stay vs Go Guide
Get the structured process, checklists, examples and cost model that will help you choose the right option — and negotiate from a stronger position.
