My experience with IWG / Spaces has been extremely disappointing and stressful, especially as a small business director already dealing with very difficult circumstances.
In January 2026, I contacted the Spaces West Kensington team and explained that my business was facing serious financial difficulty. I made it clear that I could no longer continue with the full office arrangement and needed to reduce costs. On 22 January 2026, I formally requested to downgrade from my office to a Virtual Office. My understanding was that this was a temporary cost-saving measure until the end of my existing agreement, which I understood to be ending on 31 May 2026.
I was later told that my agreement had automatically renewed and that I would remain liable until 30 September 2026. I strongly dispute this.
IWG / Spaces says renewal reminders were sent, but I did not receive clear and transparent email notification warning me that urgent action was required to stop the renewal. I have repeatedly asked them to provide proof that I was properly notified and that I knowingly accepted the renewed liability. Instead, I mainly received generic references to terms and conditions.
The documents and explanations were also confusing. One renewal reminder referred to an office agreement with different pricing and dates, while the later confirmation referred to a Virtual Office agreement at a different price and ending on 30 September 2026. To me, this was not clear, transparent, or fair.
I also had an issue with a mail forwarding charge around February/March 2026. I disputed it and asked for it to be cancelled, but the charge continued and was only later credited. IWG described this as a goodwill gesture, but in my view it shows that customer enquiries and cancellation requests were not handled properly at the time.
On 3 March 2026, shortly after becoming aware of the renewal issue, I disputed it and asked for cancellation. In May 2026, I again made it clear that I had not requested any renewal or new contract, but IWG continued to insist that I must pay until September.
Their “Account Helpdesk” was also extremely unhelpful. The responses felt robotic, repetitive, and dismissive, with no real attempt to understand the facts or deal with the evidence I provided. Instead of receiving proper support, I felt I was being pushed through a scripted process with generic replies.
This whole situation has caused significant financial pressure, stress, and anxiety. I felt that instead of helping a small business that had openly explained its difficulties, IWG relied on unclear processes and internal systems to enforce charges I do not believe were properly communicated or authorised.
My advice to other businesses: be extremely careful before signing anything with IWG / Spaces. Check the online portal constantly, do not rely on email communication, take screenshots of every page, and get written confirmation for every downgrade, cancellation, renewal, and service removal. Otherwise, you may find yourself trapped in a disputed renewal you never clearly agreed to.
