2 min readThe KinKonnects team
Furnished offices in Kinshasa: what is included and what never is
Furnished and serviced do not mean the same thing from one Kinshasa building to the next. Here is how to check before you sign.
Two adverts can both say furnished office and describe very different realities. One means there are desks and chairs. The other means you arrive with a laptop and are working within the hour. The gap between them is paid in weeks of delay.
What a serious furnished office includes
- Desks and storage, sized to the number of positions advertised.
- Power, with a backup that starts without anyone being called.
- Business internet, shared or dedicated, with the speed stated in writing.
- Working, maintained air conditioning.
- Daily cleaning of your office and the shared areas.
- Building security and access control.
- Meeting room access, usually with an hours allowance included.
- Visitor reception and mail handling.
What almost always stays yours
- Your computers, monitors and phones.
- Your printer, or printing billed per page.
- Meeting room hours beyond the allowance.
- Exceptional use: events, large groups of guests, out of hours access.
- Insurance on your own equipment.
The six questions to ask
- 1.How long does backup power run, and does it switch over automatically?
- 2.Is the bandwidth guaranteed or shared, and what happens at peak times?
- 3.How many meeting room hours are included, and at what rate beyond them?
- 4.What are the real access hours, and is weekend access included?
- 5.What is the notice period, and how quickly is the deposit returned?
- 6.What happens if the team goes from four to eight people mid contract?
Ask for the answers in writing. A serious operator gives them without hesitating, because it knows them.
Why this matters more in Kinshasa
In many cities power and connectivity are assumptions and furnished is judged on the decor. In Kinshasa they are the first two criteria and everything else comes after. A beautiful office without automatic changeover to a generator costs you one client meeting a week.
It is also why the visit matters more than the photographs. Look at the electrical panel, ask when the generator last ran, and run a speed test on your own phone.
See the offices
KinKonnects private offices come furnished, with backed up power, fibre, cleaning and meeting room access, in Ngaliema. The space is open 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and you can visit without an appointment.
FAQ
Are furnished and serviced the same thing?
Not necessarily. Furnished refers to the furniture. Serviced implies the services as well: backup power, internet, cleaning, reception. Ask which one is actually on offer.
Can you bring your own furniture?
Often possible in a private office, less so on a shared floor. Ask first, because it sometimes changes the rate.
Do unused meeting room hours roll over?
Rarely. Assume they expire at month end unless the contract says otherwise in writing.
