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A search for an office for rent in north Riyadh brings up listings from districts that sit close together on the map. As a company address, they work very differently. Al Sahafah, Hittin, Al Malqa and Al Yasmin each have their own buildings and road access. This guide compares them on the points that usually decide a shortlist: how staff and clients get to the office, and what a ready-to-operate office there includes. DIOM operates DIOM HQ serviced offices in the north of the city, so the guide closes with what you can check in a single visit.
What changes when you change the district
Moving the pin on the map changes three things.
Staff commute. Map where the team lives before you map the offices. Hittin and Al Malqa are on the north-west side of the city, while Al Sahafah and Al Yasmin are on the north-central side. A district that is close for the founders can be a long drive for half the team.
Client visits. Clients judge an address by how easily they find it and park. If the office is on a main road and the building has a reception that receives visitors, you are spared the phone call that begins "we are outside, where do we go".
Licensing address. The national address registered at each DIOM location is in DIOM Holding's name. If your company needs a national address in its own name, DIOM provides the documents you need to issue it. DIOM does not offer virtual offices. Ask any provider the same about the address before you sign, in any district. The first-office address and contract checklist covers the rest of what to ask.
Al Sahafah
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road runs through Al Sahafah, and the DIOM address in the district is on that road. What to check here is the type and age of the office buildings, both on the main road and on the streets behind it. See, too, whether parking and everyday amenities are in the same block as the office.
Access: Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road through the district
Building stock: Building type and age, on the main road and on the streets behind it
DIOM presence: DIOM HQ at Al Nakhlah Tower, 3026 Prince Mohammed Ibn Salman Ibn Abdulaziz Road, designed, built and operated by DIOM. Offices are available now on the seventh floor
Al Sahafah suits teams that receive clients often and want a tower address without moving into the centre.
Hittin
Hittin lies in the north-west of the city, around Riyadh Park, and Rubeen Plaza is close to the park. In Hittin, look at what a building offers at street level, such as restaurants and shops, and how far the office is from them.
DIOM operates two products in Rubeen Plaza. DIOM HQ at Rubeen Plaza offers private serviced offices for teams, and units 207 and 209 are available now. DIOM Flex Rubeen Plaza, also operated by DIOM, has shared desks, focus pods, a lounge, a private office and a meeting room you book by the hour. Because both sit in the same building, a team can see the two in one visit.
Access: North-west Riyadh, around Riyadh Park
Building stock: What the building offers at street level, and the distance from the office to it
DIOM presence: DIOM HQ at Rubeen Plaza, designed, built and operated by DIOM, with units 207 and 209 available now, and DIOM Flex Rubeen Plaza, operated by DIOM. The building is close to Riyadh Park
It is a natural pick for companies that want DIOM Flex and DIOM HQ under one roof.
Al Malqa
Al Malqa lies in the north-west, and Anas Ibn Malik Road is among its main roads. If you are looking for an office for rent in Al Malqa, set the office's location against where the team lives and the routes clients take. The district works for staff living in the north-west. Clients coming from the centre or the east side face a longer drive.
Access: Anas Ibn Malik Road and the district's main roads
Building stock: Building type and age on the main roads, plus what serves the office at street level
DIOM presence: No current DIOM HQ location inside Al Malqa. The nearest DIOM HQ offices are at Rubeen Plaza in Hittin and Al Nakhlah Tower in Al Sahafah
The district makes most sense for a founding team that lives there and meets clients elsewhere.
Al Yasmin
Al Yasmin lies further north. Find out which buildings on the main roads offer offices, and of what type. Then compare the airport road with the routes to the centre for your team.
Access: Further north. Compare the airport road with the routes to the centre for your team
Building stock: Which buildings on the main roads offer offices, and of what type
DIOM presence: No DIOM location in Al Yasmin. The nearest DIOM HQ offices are at Al Nakhlah Tower in Al Sahafah and Rubeen Plaza in Hittin
Choose Al Yasmin if your team's commute starts in the far north and clients rarely come to you.
The central alternative: Olaya and King Fahd Road
If your clients sit in the centre, or the address has to be a landmark, the comparison changes. Olaya and King Fahd Road form the city's established business spine, home to the towers and hotels that visiting executives already know. DIOM HQ operates offices at Century Corner on King Fahd Road, where the ground floor has offices available now, and the guide to what is inside Century Corner covers the building itself. The downside is the commute for staff living in the north, along with parking at peak hours. Another option is a central meeting point for client sessions while the team stays in the north. The cost and the commute decide whether that works.
What a ready-to-operate DIOM office in the north includes
Listings use "furnished", "equipped" and "ready to operate" loosely, and the difference shapes your first three months. Furnished means desks and chairs are in place, and equipped adds the technical fit-out. A ready-to-operate office works from day one under a single contract. The post on equipped, furnished or fitted sets out the full definitions.
DIOM HQ at Al Nakhlah Tower and Rubeen Plaza is designed, built and operated by DIOM. You get one contract and one contact for the items a bare lease leaves to you. Every DIOM HQ office includes:
a private office for the team, with 24/7 secure access
professional meeting rooms, included in the office for HQ tenants with no hourly booking
reception and concierge
high-speed internet, with IT and security support
daily cleaning and maintenance
covered parking access
café and pantry
an HQ contract that runs from one year to five years, and longer terms are possible (monthly terms belong to DIOM Flex)
A traditional lease hands you the space bare. You then sign separately for fit-out and furniture, for internet, and for cleaning and security, and the months before move-in are yours to manage. The cost side is covered in the comparison of a serviced office versus a traditional lease.
How to compare north-Riyadh offices in one visit
Most of the questions above can be settled in one morning if you visit with a checklist.
Arrive at the time your team would. The drive at eight in the morning is the commute you are buying. A noon visit tells you little about it.
Park where a client would park. Count the steps from the car to the reception desk and note who greets a visitor.
Walk the whole floor. Look at the corridor, the meeting rooms, the kitchen and the washrooms. Your team uses them every day, and you cannot renovate them.
Test the internet on a video call from the office you are offered. A test from the lounge proves little.
Ask for the inclusion list in writing. It should show what the monthly fee covers, what is metered and what is not offered at all.
Get three contract answers. The minimum term, the exit notice, and what happens when you need two more desks.
Ask which address goes on the contract. At a DIOM location the registered national address is in DIOM Holding's name, and DIOM provides the documents if you need an address in your own company's name.
If two offices pass, pick the one closer to where the team lives. Clients come now and then, and the team makes the trip every day.
Frequently asked questions
Which north-Riyadh district suits a small company office?
It depends on where the founders and staff live, and on how often clients visit. Al Sahafah gives you a tower address on a main road, while Hittin has DIOM Flex and DIOM HQ in the same building. Al Malqa and Al Yasmin work for teams living in the north-west or far north who meet clients elsewhere. Before shortlisting, ask DIOM which HQ offices are available.
What does a furnished office in north Riyadh include?
A furnished office has desks and chairs, plus storage. A ready-to-operate DIOM HQ office adds the services: reception and concierge, 24/7 secure access, meeting rooms, high-speed internet, daily cleaning and maintenance, covered parking access, a café and pantry, and IT and security support. With any provider, ask for the inclusion list in writing, including what is charged separately, because listings use "furnished" and "serviced" loosely. Find out when the office will be ready before you fix a move-in day, because move-in is immediate for an office that is ready.
How far is Al Sahafah from KAFD and the airport?
Al Sahafah sits in north Riyadh on Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road. KAFD lies to its south-west along King Fahd Road, and King Khalid International Airport to the north-east. Drive times depend on the hour, so make the trip at the time your team and clients would travel.
Is parking included in serviced offices?
Not always, because it differs by building. DIOM HQ offices include covered parking access. Wherever you look, ask how many spaces come with the office, whether there is visitor parking, and whether the spaces are allocated or shared.
Can I sign for six months?
No. DIOM HQ contracts run from one year to five years, and longer terms are possible, but there is no monthly HQ contract. If you need a shorter commitment, ask about DIOM Flex monthly plans. Before choosing an HQ office, confirm the contract length, the exit conditions and how you add space later, along with the services included at the proposed location.
What is the difference between a business centre and a serviced office?
In Riyadh the two terms overlap. "Business centre" usually means the building, or the operator that runs serviced offices and meeting rooms for many companies at once. "Serviced office" is the product you rent inside it: a private office with services included under one contract. When you compare listings, look at the inclusion list and the contract, and ignore the label.
Request a quote for a north-Riyadh office
Tell DIOM which district you are considering, how big the team is and the month you want to move in. The offices available now are Century Corner on the ground floor, Al Nakhlah Tower on the seventh floor in Al Sahafah, and Rubeen Plaza units 207 and 209 in Hittin.