Spaces - Hammersmith The Foundry Reviews 11

We rented an office at Spaces – Hammersmith Road, UK, and unfortunately, it was one of the worst decisions we made. I would not recommend them to anyone looking for office space due to hidden charges and additional fees for even minor items.

Key issues we faced:

1. At the time of signing, there was no clear explanation of what services were included in the agreement.
Their talks were very sweet in the beginning while collecting the initial deposit and rent but after that their behavior was totally unprofessional.
2. Over time, we were repeatedly charged extra fees, one after another.
3. When we decided to cancel at the end of the contract, the deposit refund was delayed unnecessarily for 3 months.
4. The charges for access cards were never refunded despite returning it.
5. Unexpected fees were applied during vacating, including extra charges for maintenance which equals to a months rent, for an office which was rarely used and handed over to them as it is in good condition.
6. Every time we followed up for the refund, different staff responded with new requirements.
7. Documents already available in their system were repeatedly requested again.
8.The refund process was continuously delayed for 3 months with unreasonable and unethical demands.
9. Anyone approaching them to rent an office, make sure to get the contract vetted through a solicitor before signing.
10 .Never ever agree to direct auto - debit option which they force us to do and they also charge extra deposit if we don't do that

Overall, we had a very disappointing experience with Spaces.

Instead, we would recommend considering Industrious, as they were transparent from the beginning, more honest about costs, and offered more cost-efficient options compared to Spaces.

This review is a warning and consideration for anyone weighing up using Spaces The Foundry. The physical building is a good modern build although the parking allocated for spaces tenants is very tight. Service: It has been over 3 months and we finally got our deposit back - 25 emails later (the excuse was they needed to verify our bank details) Deal with any other serviced office landlord in Hammersmith and it will almost never be the Regus experience. We moved out in Dec 2024 and 2 months later in February they reply to say we will get our deposit back on 26 March 2025 despite their agreement saying deposits are returned within 30 days. After moving out the community manager made trumped up extra charges about needing to renovate the office beyond their cleaning fee and nicked 1 months rent worth of extra charges which we were blackmailed to pay beyond the agreed restoration and cleaning fees they charge. Speaking of extra charges - there are many (ryanair style hidden fees) but what is frustrating is that for example they charge £40 per employee activation fee but offer no induction or welcome whatsoever. There are no tea or coffee facilities for clients that is easily accessible - when queried with the community manager advises - "Oh that is the brand standard for Spaces - they want you to purchase your tea and coffee from the onsite cafe" but then you find the "cafe" is mostly never open. There is a small untidy kitchen on the 1st floor that is available, to be shared with 2 floors of constantly changing tenants. In the 5 years I was here (due to covid bussiness disruption we were reluctant to move) I saw a revolving door of tenants come and go mainly because most could not put up with the community manager's argumentative approach and poor service. Be careful about choosing the internal offices the sound insulation is terrible - but the rates are low because Regus are desperate to sell them. The external facing offices are as expensive as neighbouring serviced office providers who are leagues ahead of Spaces in the serviced office game. Also do not believe Spaces regarding the number of desks per office quoted as these are wildly overestimated and not realistic in terms of number of people per office. We moved to 245 Hammersmith road and it was like moving from premier inn to the ritz for the same price of a Spaces external facing office. Hope this helps.

Updated review (30/04/2025). Original review listed below.

I have decided to end my agreement with SPACES and will not be renewing my contract due to ongoing issues. I very much regret choosing SPACES as my first office choice as a solo freelancer.

As well as ongoing network issues which have negatively affected my business, I have recently had a cleaner enter my office without permission, unplug devices and mishandle my furniture. This is an ongoing issue which is being dealt with.

The only way I was able to move forward with issues and speak to someone was to leave this public negative review on TrustPilot - this was the recommended route by a sales representative at IWG. Although there is a listed response below, I never received any further communication from SPACES or IWG regarding this review, the feedback or the issues I presented to them. My centre manager is aware of the situation and is trying their best to form a solution.

I cannot recommend SPACES or any building within the IWG network. The lack of support has been disappointing.

I do not feel comfortable in the Hammersmith The Foundry building, I also do not feel comfortable leaving my business equipment in the building.

As much as I understand that SPACES and IWG are businesses, they don't seem to care about tenant issues or their businesses, just if you can pay the rent.

Things SPACES should improve;
- Internal support network for tenants
- Kitchen facilities
- Business networking events and building events
- Communication between cleaning staff and tenants
- Complaints procedure and resolution

-----------------------------------------------

Original review (02/04/2025):
I'm still a tenant but unable to work in The Foundry, SPACES building in Hammersmith - operated by IWG.

I'm a solo freelancer working in the media industry. I've been in the building for 8 months, being able to connect remotely to other agencies for work using Parsec (a well-known industry-used piece of remote connection software). I now cannot do this.

I've been told that;
- To continue as I was before, I need to pay an £80 setup fee plus, £45p/m for a Static IP address. This seems extortionate and I wasn't notified of any upcoming changes to the network that would require this. A Priority Internet line at SPACES is £9p/m - which I've paid for since I moved in.
- My devices were found to be on a 'rejected vlan' but, not told why.
- To connect to other devices, they must all be on the same network and in the building - this is impractical when working with national and international clients.

This has not been an issue since I started my tenancy around 8 months ago. When I moved in, I was assured I would be well looked after and shouldn't have any issues with my work on a Priority Internet line.

I'm unable to talk to their IT team directly, as it has to go through a Community Manager. I've tried, but I'm unable to talk to anyone at IWG or SPACES about this issue.

I've been unable to work and had to make alternative arrangements over the past month, whilst still paying my full rent and internet fees.

I appreciate The Foundry's reception team has tried to and continues to help me as much as they can but, they are still at the mercy of the tech support team which, is based out of the country and doesn't seem to understand the issue or how to fix it.

I have been troubleshooting the issue along with an agency I work with and the company that operates Parsec and, we cannot seem to find an issue, apart from when I'm connected to the SPACES internet network.

Eema and Trey are friendly, efficient and kind. Always going that extra mile to ensure we're content in our work place. Their attitude imbues all the Spaces population with good cheer.

I initially canceled my contract on September 9, 2024, which was valid until December 31, 2024. Despite my cancellation, I received a renewal agreement email on October 9, to which I immediately responded, reiterating that I no longer needed the office space.

On December 31, 2024, I was surprised to receive an email stating that my contract had been renewed for another year. Thankfully, the issue was resolved on January 7, 2025, by their online global team, with confirmation that my agreement ended on December 31, 2024.

I want to extend my gratitude to Mr. Mo at the Hammersmith location for his excellent support, as well as Lorraine Brule and Phoebe from the online customer service team for their helpfulness. Their assistance stood out in an otherwise frustrating experience.

For future customers, I strongly advise carefully reviewing all terms and conditions, ensuring cancellations are completed online, and double-checking that they have not been initiated automatically. Hopefully, this error will be addressed and resolved for future members.

The management has gone downhill and service is nothing what it once was.

Great communication, always swift responses, thoroughly recommend!

The Reception Staff always make Spaces feel like a 'home from home' office experience and are very welcoming.

Staff are helpful in supporting when problems arise.

Great centralised location with good facilities

The venue itself is an ideal working environment: quiet, well-lit, air-conditioned. It means one can work efficiently for long periods of time without feeling exhausted at the end of the day.