How quickly does flex office space go in King's Cross?

At the moment, very quickly. On a recent search for around 12,000 sq ft, some of the options I shortlisted had gone within a week. Well-funded tech and AI businesses can commit in days, so good space rarely waits for a long sign-off process.

How far ahead should I start looking for flexible office space in London?

For larger requirements in high-demand areas like King’s Cross, I’d start the conversation around six months before your move date, not three. That gives you time to understand the market, agree your decision process and move quickly when the right space comes up.

Why do enterprise occupiers lose out on flex space?

It’s rarely about budget. It’s about speed. A recently funded scale-up can see a space and commit the same week. An enterprise business often needs several stakeholders and sign-offs, so it can be first to view and still lose the space.

Is Euston becoming part of the King's Cross office market?

That’s the question I’m watching. Demand in King’s Cross is already rippling out, and the proposed Euston masterplan could change how occupiers see the area. We may soon talk about one broader Knowledge Quarter rather than two separate markets.

Is flex always the right answer for a growing business?

Not always. For some businesses a traditional lease makes more sense, and for others flex gives the agility they need. It depends on your growth plans, your timeline and how you work. That’s exactly the conversation to have early.

London Flex Market Update: Why the best space goes before you’ve decided

London Flex Market Update, October 2026. By Arron Browne, Head of London Flex, Cushman & Wakefield

I’m five weeks into my role as Head of London Flex at Cushman & Wakefield, and one thing has struck me more than anything else. I knew the London flex office market moved quickly. I didn’t fully appreciate how quickly until I was thrown into the deep end.

Welcome to the first London Flex Market Update, my monthly look at what I’m seeing on live searches, what it means for occupiers, and what I’d do if I were in your shoes. It’s not a polished research report.

This month, it’s all about King’s Cross.

A 12,000 sq ft search in King’s Cross

One of the first searches I picked up is for a major global tech business. They need around 12,000 sq ft (approx. 1,115 sq m) in King’s Cross, and they need to move within the next three to four months.

In the flex world, that sounds manageable. Three to four months should be enough time to find space of that size, get it fitted out and move the team in. It’s a little tight, but we’d already been searching for five weeks, which gave us a head start on the lead time.

What I didn’t expect was how fast the options would disappear. A week after I presented a shortlist, some of the spaces had already gone. That surprises a lot of the clients I speak to. It surprised me too.

Who you’re competing with in King’s Cross

None of this is a revelation. King’s Cross has been a magnet for established AI and tech businesses for some time, especially around the Knowledge Quarter. What’s interesting is who you’re actually competing with for space.

The concentration of AI and tech businesses in and around King’s Cross is extraordinary right now:

OpenAI
Anthropic
Google
Google DeepMind
Dust
Wayve

When businesses like these gravitate to the same few streets, you get what I’d call a gold rush. Demand concentrates, good space gets snapped up, and everyone else has to move faster to keep up.

Scale-ups decide in days, enterprises in weeks

The most important thing I’ve learned so far isn’t about the buildings. It’s about how different occupiers behave.

A recently funded scale-up can see a space it likes and decide very, very quickly, even at 12,000 sq ft. The founders are close to the decision, the money is in the bank and the growth plan is clear. They can commit in days.

An enterprise business works differently. There are several stakeholders, layers of decision making and multiple sign-offs. That’s sensible governance, but it takes time. So even if an enterprise occupier is first to view a space, it doesn’t mean they’ll win it.

I’ve seen this play out on another search, for an international tech business looking for around 4,000 sq ft (approx. 372 sq m). They’re taking their time and considering each option carefully, as they should. But while they’re considering, they’re close to being gazumped by businesses that say, “We want the space, we’re taking it now. We’ve just closed our Series B and we’ll sign for a year today.”

That’s the reality in King’s Cross at the moment. The well-funded, agile businesses get in, make the decision and move in. The space is gone before a more traditional process has reached its second meeting.

From advisers to consultants

So what does this mean for us at Cushman & Wakefield? I think it changes our role in flex from advisers to consultants.

It’s no longer enough to present five or ten buildings that match a client’s brief and wait for feedback. In this market, that approach loses.

Instead, we need to:

Manage expectations from day one about how quickly good flex space disappears right now
Help shape the client’s decision process at the start, so the right people are ready to say yes when the right space comes up
Start the conversation earlier. Six months out, not three

That last point matters most. Our value is greatest when we’re at the table before the client even knows they need flex space. Had we been speaking to the business behind that 12,000 sq ft search three months earlier, we could have warned them about what’s happening in King’s Cross, helped them line up their sign-offs, and given them a real chance of getting ahead of the scale-ups.

That isn’t about choosing flex over a traditional lease. For some businesses a lease is the right answer. It’s about making sure that whatever you choose, you’re ready to act when it matters.

The ripple effect: is Euston next?

The other thing I’ve noticed over the last five weeks is that King’s Cross demand doesn’t stay in King’s Cross. It ripples outwards, and occupiers should be watching the areas around it.

Euston is the obvious one. Historically it hasn’t been a first-choice location for enterprise occupiers, but that could change. With HS2 and the station’s redevelopment on the way, the area is in transition.

There’s also a major masterplan for the wider Euston area. The current proposals cover a 60-acre (approx. 24 hectare) site, with around 5 million sq ft (approx. 465,000 sq m) of business and innovation workspace, up to 1,500 new homes, plus shops and restaurants. It’s still at the consultation stage, with further engagement planned for this autumn, but the direction is clear [Euston London].

It makes me wonder whether we’ll eventually stop talking about King’s Cross and Euston as two separate office markets, and start talking about one broader Knowledge Quarter. I’ll be watching that closely.

What this means if you’re planning a move

My biggest takeaway from my first month is simple. In the best parts of the London flex market, availability doesn’t equal opportunity. A space might be available when you first see it. That doesn’t mean it will still be there when everyone’s ready to decide.

If you’re planning a move in the next year, here’s what I’d do:

Start the conversation six months before your move date, not three. You’ll understand the market before you need to act in it.
Agree who signs off, and how quickly, before your first viewing. Speed of decision is now as important as the brief.
Know your non-negotiables and where you can flex. It makes fast decisions far easier.
Be ready to act within days. If a space ticks the boxes, assume someone else thinks so too.
Look beyond the obvious postcode. The best option might be a short walk away, in an area that’s about to change.

Our role in a gold rush market

The businesses we advise are competing for space with companies built to make decisions very, very quickly. Our job is to give enterprise clients the insight and the process they need to compete with that agility.

That doesn’t mean overlooking the scale-ups. Fast-moving, well-funded businesses deserve exactly the same quality of advice, and many of them become the enterprise occupiers of tomorrow.

It’s a very interesting time for London, for AI and for flex. The market is agile but fragile, and space is in such high demand that the best thing we can do is help clients see their options early, often before they know they need them.

Look out for next month’s London Flex Market Update. In the meantime, if you’re planning a move, or think you might be in the next 12 months, talk to us now.

London Flex Market Update FAQs

Arron Browne is Head of London Flex at Cushman & Wakefield, advising occupiers on flexible, managed and serviced office space across London.