Long-term space in the heart of Leith
Office space for organisations making a social impact — in a recently refurbished, asset-locked community building.
Duncan Place Community Hub is a recently refurbished building right by Leith Links.
We are home to several charities with long-term leases and there is space available by the hour for meetings, workshops and events.
The building is owned by a charity and managed as a social enterprise. After costs, all profit is returned to the building and used to run a programme of low cost / free community activities and events.
Interested in a long-term space?
Duncan Place Community Hub is a registered charity with office space currently home to several other charities. Our current tenants are shown below. We offer secure tenancies in the heart of Leith with any profit used to provide community events / make a positive social impact in Leith.
If your organisation could join us at Duncan Place Community Hub, please get in touch to arrange a viewing and start a conversation about leasing office space. We look forward to welcoming you in. Email info@duncanplace.org with who you are, and what you do, and we'll be in touch!
Why lease space at Duncan Place
- Duncan Place Community Hub which is home to organisations making a social impact in the community.
- The hub is owned by a charity, (called Duncan Place), & is operated as a social enterprise with any profit used to provide community events/ social impact in Leith.
- Building is asset locked = secure tenancies, no private landlord/ developer can decide to sell up.
- Recently refurbished = lower running costs & a lower carbon footprint, inc air-source heating.
- Accessible: ramp & lift, disabled parking, corridors & doors widened to meet modern regs for wheelchair access, accessible toilets on ground and 2nd floor.
- Shared staff kitchen & break space to meet & collaborate with fellow tenants.
- Reduced hourly rates for tenants on our multi-function rooms called Wee & Big Duncan.
- Air-source heating/ cooling
- Double glazing
- Insulated to current building regs requirements
- LED lighting with auto turn off
- PIR sensor TAPS to prevent waste-water
- Cleaning, waste & recycling provided by other social enterprises
Ground, first & second floor
Rent, service charge & practicalities
Rent and Service Charge
Duncan Place Community Hub charges rent plus a service charge.
Rent is self-explanatory and, as mentioned, any profit is used for community benefit.
Not everyone is familiar with service charges so here is an explanation of how it works:
- The service charge is made up of all invoices which contribute to the running costs of the building.
- No profit is added to the service charge.
- Early in each financial year Duncan Place provides an estimate of the service charge for the year ahead and tenants pay a monthly amount based on the estimate.
- Only the actual costs of running the building are included and all invoices are available for inspection.
- The total is divided up by dates occupied and on a per sq ft occupied basis with tenants and the Duncan Place charity each paying the appropriate amount.
- As the total is a forecast of the charges to come in the year ahead, it is impossible for this to be 100% accurate.
- At the end of the financial year a service charge reconciliation is therefore carried out.
- Any over payment is returned to tenants and any underpayment invoiced for.
Items included in the service charge
Annual maintenance/servicing of:
- Fire extinguishers
- Disabled access door opening system
- Fire & intruder alarm maintenance & ongoing monitoring
- CCTV
- Dry riser
- Heating, cooling, ventilation
- Lift
Also includes:
- Cleaning & maintenance of communal areas (corridors, kitchen, loos, stairwell, outside space)
- Day-to-day waste & re-cycling (does not include any confidential shredding/ large clear outs/ furniture)
- Window cleaning (exterior)
- Building Insurance (Tenants must organise their own contents and any other insurance needed)
- Bathroom & kitchen consumables (soap, paper towels etc, not tea & coffee)
- Electricity (inc heating & cooling)
- Water & Waste Water (Supplier invoices tenants directly for drainage element)
- Contribution to sinking fund
Sinking Fund
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) definition of Sinking Fund: a fund formed by periodically setting aside money for the replacement of a wasting asset (for example, heating and air-conditioning plant and equipment, lifts, etc.)
Wi-Fi
There is Wi-Fi in the building but, beyond the ground floor, access is patchy. If you can access it, you are welcome to use it, but we don't guarantee it, so do not charge for it.
Tenants who require a secure Wi-Fi connection can install this by plugging in a router/ switch and getting a contract in place – all cabling for this is in place & there are data points in each room.
Tenants can house their equipment in their own room or in the ground floor comms cabinet. We can show you this at a viewing.
Arrange a viewing
Email info@duncanplace.org with who you are, and what you do, and we'll be in touch!