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Cat A vs Cat B UK Office Fit-Out: What You Need to Know

Cat A and Cat B are the two standard levels of commercial office fit-out in the UK - but what they mean, what they cost, and which is right for your business is frequently misunderstood. This guide explains both clearly, covers dilapidations risk, and introduces the alternative that a growing number of UK businesses now choose instead of a full Cat B fit-out.

Table of Contents

Example H2

What is Cat A office space in the UK?

Cat A (Category A) office space is a commercial property that a UK landlord has brought to a base level of finish, ready for a tenant to commission their own fit-out. It typically includes raised floors and suspended ceilings, basic mechanical and electrical services (HVAC, lighting, power distribution), lifts and common areas, fire safety systems, and a reception or entrance - but no partition walls, furniture, or tenant-specific fit-out whatsoever.

Cat A is the blank canvas. The landlord has made the building functional and compliant. What it does not provide is anything that makes it usable for a specific business.

What is Cat B office space in the UK?

Cat B (Category B) is the fit-out that converts a Cat A shell into a working office. This is the tenant's investment - the partition walls, the meeting rooms, the kitchen, the reception desk, the lighting specification, the furniture, and the IT infrastructure. Cat B is everything that makes the space specific to your business and genuinely workable on day one.

Cat B fit-out costs vary significantly by specification, location, and scope. As a working guide, Cat B costs range from £60 to £200 per square foot in UK markets, with Central London at the upper end and regional cities below it. For a 2,000 sq ft office in London, this means £120,000 to £400,000 in building works alone, before furniture.

What is Cat A+ (Cat A Plus) in the UK?

Cat A+ is a relatively recent addition to the UK commercial property market - a finish level that sits between Cat A and Cat B. A landlord delivering Cat A+ has gone beyond the base specification to include elements traditionally associated with Cat B: furniture, meeting rooms, basic IT infrastructure, and a considered design.

Cat A+ spaces are designed to be plug-and-play for incoming tenants - particularly those on shorter leases who cannot justify commissioning a full Cat B fit-out. A circular furniture subscription is increasingly used by UK landlords to deliver Cat A+ specification efficiently: the landlord furnishes the space through a subscription, the tenant occupies it, and the furniture can be transferred to the tenant or adapted to their requirements at the point of letting.

Cat A versus Cat B: what does each cost in the UK?

  • Cat A cost. Typically borne by the landlord and built into the lease terms - either through a rent-free period or a landlord's capital contribution to the fit-out.
  • Cat B cost. Typically £60 to £200 per sq ft for a standard commercial fit-out in the UK. For a 2,000 sq ft office, this means £120,000 to £400,000 in building works before furniture. Furniture adds a further £25,000 to £80,000 depending on specification.
  • Cat A+ cost. A landlord delivering Cat A+ with furniture through a circular subscription may spend £15 to £30 per sq ft on furniture provision - significantly less than a full Cat B fit-out, with none of the structural dilapidations liability at lease end.

Key Takeaways

  • Cat A is the landlord's base fit-out - functional and compliant, but not usable for a specific business without further investment.
  • Cat B is the tenant's fit-out - partitions, meeting rooms, kitchen, furniture, and IT. Budget £60 to £200 per sq ft for building works, plus furniture on top.
  • Cat A+ is a landlord-delivered intermediate level designed for shorter-term occupiers who do not want to commission a full Cat B - and who want to avoid the dilapidations liability that comes with it.
  • A circular furniture subscription is increasingly used to deliver Cat A+ - fast, flexible, and without the landlord or tenant committing capital to owned furniture assets.

Furnishing a Cat A+ space or delivering Cat A+ as a UK landlord? Talk to NORNORM about how our subscription model supports this.

FAQs

Cat A and Cat B refer to two distinct stages of commercial office fit-out in the UK. Cat A is the base level delivered by the landlord: the space is clean, structurally complete, and has basic services installed - raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic HVAC, fire detection, and WC facilities - but is otherwise empty and not immediately usable. Cat B takes the space from Cat A to fully occupied, adding partitions, flooring finishes, decoration, kitchen and breakout areas, meeting rooms, and furniture. Cat B is what a tenant actually moves into and works in.

For a UK startup, the Cat B fit-out decision depends primarily on your lease length and capital position. A traditional Cat B fit-out requires upfront capital (typically £50 to £150 per sq ft for building works, plus furniture on top), creates a dilapidations liability at the end of the tenancy, and locks in a specification that may not suit your team in 18 months. A Cat A space with a circular furniture subscription achieves a similar outcome - a fully designed, professional workspace - without the upfront capital, the dilapidations risk from structural works, or the specification lock-in. For most startups, the subscription approach on a Cat A or Cat A+ base is the more rational choice.

Cat A fit-out cost depends on the condition of the base build and the level of services in place. As a working guide, bringing a space from shell to Cat A level in the London market typically costs £30 to £80 per square foot for a standard commercial space - covering raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic HVAC, and fire detection. Cat B costs on top of Cat A typically run £60 to £200 per square foot for building works alone, before furniture. Total Cat B fit-out costs in Central London and other major UK cities commonly run £100 to £250 per square foot or more for a well-specified space.

Cat A+ is an increasingly common intermediate level in the UK market, offered by landlords as a way to present space that is more immediately occupiable than a bare Cat A shell, without the full investment of a tenant-specific Cat B fit-out. A Cat A+ space typically includes basic partitioning, flooring finishes, decoration, kitchen facilities, and sometimes furniture, pre-installed before a tenant is confirmed. It is designed to reduce the time from lease signing to occupation and is particularly common in speculative fit-outs across Central London and major regional markets. A circular furniture subscription fits well on a Cat A+ base - the landlord provides the structural finish and the tenant layers in designed furniture through the subscription.

Dilapidations are the cost of reinstating leased space to its original condition at the end of the lease. For a Cat B fit-out, this typically means removing partitions, making good walls and ceilings, reinstating flooring, and returning the space to the Cat A condition it was in at the start of the tenancy. Dilapidations costs are almost never budgeted at the beginning of a fit-out and arrive as a significant and unwelcome surprise at lease end. They are one of the strongest arguments for a circular furniture subscription on a Cat A or Cat A+ base: if you have not built partitions, you have no demolition cost; if the furniture is returned to the provider, there is no furniture disposal to manage.

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