Coworking & office glossary
The terms you will meet in coworking quotes and office agreements, in plain English.
Updated November 2026 · How we compile this
- Coworking space
- A shared, serviced workspace where individuals and teams from different companies rent desks or offices by the day or month, with internet, furniture, utilities and common areas included.
- Hot desk (flexi desk)
- A desk in a shared open area that you do not reserve: you sit wherever a seat is free. The cheapest monthly coworking plan.
- Dedicated desk (fixed desk)
- The same desk reserved for you every day, usually with a lockable pedestal, so you can leave equipment overnight.
- Day pass
- Access to a coworking space for a single day, usually including Wi-Fi, a hot desk and tea or coffee. A good way to test a space.
- Private cabin (private office)
- A lockable office for a team, usually 2–20 people, inside a coworking or business centre, with shared reception, pantry and meeting rooms.
- Managed office
- An office the operator leases, designs, fits out and runs for a single company, usually 50 seats or more, paid as one monthly fee per seat over a multi-year term.
- Serviced office (business centre)
- A fully furnished office in a building run by a facility management company, rented with services such as reception, cleaning and IT included.
- Plug and play office
- An office that is ready to use on day one, with furniture, internet, power backup and air conditioning already in place.
- Enterprise suite
- A large private area within a coworking centre reserved for one company, often with its own meeting rooms and access control.
- Virtual office
- A business address, mail handling and related services without a physical desk. Commonly used for company and GST registration.
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- India's indirect tax. Coworking, office and virtual office fees attract 18% GST; registered businesses can usually claim it back as input tax credit.
- Principal place of business (PPOB)
- The main address of a business for GST registration. A virtual office or coworking address can serve as the PPOB if the provider gives valid documents.
- NOC (no-objection certificate)
- A letter from the property owner or operator allowing your business to use the address for registration. Required for GST and company registration.
- Registered office
- The official address of a company filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, where legal notices are sent.
- Lock-in period
- The minimum period you must pay for, even if you leave early. Common lock-ins are 3–12 months for coworking and 2–5 years for managed offices.
- Notice period
- How far in advance you must tell the operator you are leaving after the lock-in ends, usually 1–3 months.
- Security deposit
- A refundable amount held by the operator, typically 1–3 months of fees for coworking and serviced offices and 6–10 months for traditional leases.
- Escalation
- The yearly increase in your monthly fee written into the agreement, usually 5–7% for offices in Hyderabad.
- Meeting room credits
- Free hours of meeting room use included in a membership each month. Extra hours are billed separately.
- Boardroom
- A larger, more formal meeting room, usually for 8–16 people, with a long table and presentation equipment.
- Video conferencing
- Equipment and software for meetings with remote participants: a camera, microphone and speaker connected to Zoom, Google Meet or Teams.
- Grade A building
- A modern office building with high-quality construction, central air conditioning, full power backup, lifts, parking and professional facility management.
- Carpet area and super built-up area
- Carpet area is the usable floor space; super built-up area adds a share of lobbies, lifts and corridors. Office rents in Hyderabad are usually quoted on super built-up area.
- Bare shell and warm shell
- A bare shell office is an empty floor with no interiors; a warm shell has basic flooring, ceilings, lighting and air conditioning. Both need fit-out before use.
- Hybrid work
- Working partly from the office and partly from home or elsewhere. A common reason Hyderabad companies use coworking passes or smaller private offices.
- Incubator
- An organisation that supports early-stage startups with workspace, mentoring and investor access. T-Hub is Hyderabad's best-known incubator.