What a Pune operator typically juggles
A shared office in Pune usually sells a mix of hot desks, dedicated desks and private cabins, with a meeting room or two and perhaps virtual office plans for businesses that need an address. Desks tend to turn over faster than cabins, so the member list changes every month, and each change touches the invoice, the seat plan and sometimes the agreement.
The hard part is rarely any single task. It is keeping them in step: the new joiner who has paid but not signed, the desk member who moved to a cabin mid-month, the meeting room that two people think they booked. A clear routine, and one record for each member, solves most of it.
GST in Maharashtra: registration and place of supply
A Pune space is registered for GST in Maharashtra, and the GSTIN starts with the state code 27. For renting cabins, desks and meeting rooms, the place of supply is where the property is, so your Pune space supplies in Maharashtra whatever state the member is registered in.
GST registration is per state, not per city. If you later open in Mumbai, your Mumbai building is also in Maharashtra, and it is usually added to your existing registration as an additional place of business rather than needing a new GSTIN. Many operators still keep a separate invoice series for each building so the books stay clear. Our Mumbai page covers that city's side.
General guidance, not tax advice. Confirm registration, invoice series and tax treatment with your chartered accountant. Our guide to GST on coworking rent explains what every invoice must carry.
Leave-and-licence agreements and stamp duty
Leave-and-licence agreements are common across Maharashtra, and members often expect one even for a short desk plan. A good template covers the space, the licence fee, the deposit, the lock-in, the notice period and what is included. Stamp duty applies, and in Maharashtra registration of leave-and-licence agreements is also commonly required. The rules and the process change from time to time, so check Maharashtra's current stamp duty and registration rules before you finalise your template. Our leave-and-licence checklist lists the clauses.
A set-up checklist for a new or growing Pune space
- Decide your products and prices: day, week and month passes for desks, monthly cabins, hourly and daily meeting rooms.
- Fix one due date for all monthly members and write it in the agreement.
- Choose an invoice series format, such as a short prefix, the financial year and a running number.
- Set up a payment gateway so every invoice can carry a payment link, and keep your UPI QR on it too.
- Put your agreement template in order once, with your lawyer, and use it for everyone.
- Decide meeting room rules: free hours for members, rates after that, minimum booking and cancellation cut-off.
- Agree a reminder schedule and send it from your business WhatsApp number, not a personal phone.
- Pick one place where the whole team sees who has paid, who is on notice and what is booked.
When a desk member moves to a cabin
Upgrades are good news, but they are where records drift. Close the desk plan on the last day it was used, start the cabin from the next day, and issue the cabin agreement before the move, not after. Bill the part month on each plan clearly so the member's accounts team can follow it. If the deposit changes with the upgrade, record the top-up against the cabin. Done this way, the member's statement tells the whole story without a phone call.
If you are still planning the space, our guide to starting a coworking space in India covers the steps before opening.
How Coworking OS fits
- Rent by UPI. Pay Now links through Razorpay, Cashfree or Zoho Payments, a UPI QR on every invoice, and an "I've paid" button that drops the UTR into your confirm queue.
- WhatsApp reminders from your own WhatsApp Business number, with billing autopilot to prepare or send the month's invoices on the day you choose. It is off until you switch it on.
- Invoices with your GSTIN and an invoice series per centre, with the SAC and place of supply. Part payments and arrears carry forward.
- E-signed agreements. Proposals the client accepts on their phone, then a leave-and-licence agreement drafted from your template and signed online.
- Room and desk bookings with hourly, daily and pass pricing, a public booking page and paid online booking for walk-ins.
- Centres for when you add a second building, each with its own invoice series and booking page.
Web app live · Android in Google Play testing · iPhone awaiting Apple review.
Pricing
Every plan has every feature. Starter is ₹1,999 a month for 30 active members and 1 centre. Growth is ₹3,999 for 80 and 1 centre. Scale is ₹7,999 for 200 and 2 centres. Pro is ₹13,999 for 400 and 3 centres. All plus GST. A 30-day free trial needs no card: app.coworkingos.in/signup.
I run 25 hot desks and four cabins. Is software worth it yet?
Probably, if desks turn over every month or more than one person handles payments. Starter covers up to 30 active members, and the trial lets you run one month alongside your spreadsheet to compare.
Can I sell day passes and meeting rooms online?
Yes. The public booking page shows live availability and takes payment when a walk-in books. Members use free hours first and then pay.
Can I add Mumbai later without starting again?
Yes. Add the new building as a centre. Scale includes 2 centres. Members, books and staff stay in one login.