Serviced offices and managed workspace make a lot of things easy. Phones and connectivity are not always among them. The building comes with internet and sometimes with a phone service, and what looks like one less thing to sort can turn into a number you do not control and a connection you cannot change. Here is what to establish before you sign.
The short version
- Ask whose name the phone line is in. If it is the operator's, the number is not yours.
- Bring your own number. A hosted system works over any internet connection.
- The building's broadband is shared, which matters more for calls than for browsing.
- You can usually bring your own line, but it needs permission and lead time.
- Ask the exit questions before you move in, not when you are leaving.
On this page
The number question
This is the one that occasionally costs people a customer base, and it is settled in a sentence at the start of a tenancy.
If the operator provides your phone number, that number is very likely registered to them. It works beautifully while you are a tenant. When you leave, you may find you cannot take it, because porting requires the authority of whoever holds the account, and that is not you.
Two years into a tenancy, with that number on your website, your Google listing and every invoice you have issued, discovering it is not yours is an expensive surprise.
The fix is simple and costs nothing: bring your own number, on your own hosted system, registered to your business. A hosted phone system is software. It runs over whatever internet connection is in the building, and it leaves with you. If you already have an 0151 number, port it in rather than taking the one on offer.
What "phones included" usually means
It varies enormously between operators, which is why it is worth asking rather than assuming. In practice it is usually one of three things:
| What is offered | What to watch for |
|---|---|
| A handset and a number on the house system | The number is theirs. Check whether you can port it out, in writing, before you accept it. |
| A number you can port in | Better. Confirm what happens to it at the end of the tenancy and who holds the account during it. |
| Internet only, phones are your problem | Often the best outcome. You keep full control; you just need to bring a system. |
| Call charges billed by the operator | Check the rates. Call charges rebilled through a landlord are rarely competitive. |
The shared broadband problem
The internet in a serviced office is shared across every tenant in the building. For browsing and email that is usually fine. For calls it is the thing most likely to cause you grief, because voice is unforgiving about jitter and packet loss in a way that a web page is not.
What to establish:
- Is there any prioritisation for voice? Many operators have none, which means your calls compete with everybody else's downloads at four o'clock.
- What happens when it fails? Shared connections fail for everybody at once, and you have no control over the fix or its timing.
- Is there a contention figure or any commitment at all? Usually not, and it is better to know that upfront.
If calls are important to your business, our post on why VoIP calls break up covers what actually causes it. The short version is that it is rarely the phone system.
Bringing your own connection
You often can, and in a converted Liverpool building that is where the lead time hides.
Getting your own broadband or a leased line into a suite in a shared building means getting from the point where the service enters the building to your floor. That route is the riser, and the riser belongs to the landlord or the operator. You may need formal permission, and sometimes a wayleave agreement, before anybody is allowed to pull a cable.
That is not usually difficult, but it involves a third party with no particular urgency, so it takes time. Our post on risers, landlords and lead times explains how it plays out. If you need your own line, raise it during negotiation while you still have leverage, not after you have moved in.
A 5G connection is a reasonable alternative in many of these buildings, particularly in the city centre, and it avoids the riser question entirely. Our guide to 5G as a main business line covers when that genuinely works.
What to ask before you sign
- If you provide a phone number, whose name is the line in, and can I port it out when I leave? Get the answer in writing.
- Can I bring my own phone system and numbers? Almost always yes, and it is usually the right answer.
- Is the internet shared, and is voice prioritised?
- Can I install my own broadband or leased line, and who approves the riser?
- What happens to the connection out of hours and at weekends? Relevant if you trade then.
- What notice do I need to give, and what happens to services on the last day? Ask at the start, not at the end.
Looking at a building in Liverpool?
Send us the address before you sign. We will tell you what connectivity it can actually get, whether you can bring your own line, and how to keep your number yours. It costs nothing and it is a lot cheaper than finding out in month two.