Office relocation checklist

Checklist: initial planning

• Set your target relocation date and coordinate lease handover, access cards, and building notifications. Booking professional transport early gives you more scheduling options and often better pricing for business moves.
• Request a detailed quote including origin and destination addresses, floor levels, lift access, approximate volume (workstations, archive boxes, IT equipment), and preferred time windows. The more detail you provide, the more accurate your quote and project timeline will be.
• Check lift capacity, parking, loading bays, and building access rules at both offices. Clear access helps movers work efficiently and reduces downtime and unexpected additional costs.
• Audit furniture, IT assets, and archives: identify what moves, what is disposed of or recycled, and what can be relocated in advance. Reducing volume lowers cost and speeds up installation at the new office.
• Notify utility providers, internet and phone suppliers, and building management about the address change. Schedule disconnections and new connections to minimise service interruption after move day.
• Plan data backups, secure disposal of sensitive documents, and packing materials for fragile IT equipment and confidential files. Use appropriate protection for monitors, printers, and easily damaged office furniture.

Checklist: 1 week before

• Label every workstation, shelf unit, and box by department and destination area. Clear labelling speeds up unloading and helps teams find their equipment on the first working day.
• Back up servers and workstations, document cable layouts, disconnect equipment carefully, and pack cables and peripherals together. Photograph desk setups before dismantling to speed up reconnection.
• Coordinate disassembly of modular desks, partitions, and shelving in advance. Completing some preparation internally can reduce on-site labour time and moving costs.
• Reserve packing material for archives, legal files, and sensitive items; use sealed boxes or tamper-evident labelling where confidentiality matters.
• Confirm loading and unloading schedule with your transport provider, including any out-of-hours requirements and site contact details.
• Define installation priorities (IT infrastructure, reception, management offices, meeting rooms) and brief the moving team before work begins. Inform movers about bulky items such as safes, server racks, or large conference tables.

Checklist: relocation day

• Assign a coordinator at origin and destination with authority to make decisions on the day. This keeps the move on schedule and reduces miscommunication between staff and movers.
• Keep laptops, contracts, cash, keys, access cards, and other high-value or confidential items with designated staff rather than loading them onto the van.
• Supervise loading of fragile IT equipment, glass partitions, and priority boxes marked for immediate setup at the new office.
• Walk through every area before leaving the old office, including storage rooms, server rooms, kitchens, and shared facilities. Check that nothing critical is left behind.
• Verify inventory during loading and unloading and inspect walls, floors, and lift areas after the move.
• Confirm that essential operational areas are ready before staff return and document any damage or missing items before closing the service.

Tips to minimize disruption

• Plan phased relocation if the business cannot stop operations for a full day. Moving non-critical departments or archive storage first reduces pressure on move day.
• Consider evening or weekend execution when building rules allow it. Out-of-hours moves often minimise disruption to staff and neighbouring tenants.
• Prepare an internal communication plan with timelines, contact persons, and instructions for packing personal desks and returning equipment.
• Inform your moving company in advance about narrow access, lack of lift, freight elevator limits, or strict building time slots. This allows them to bring suitable equipment and sufficient crew.
• Document the condition of furniture and equipment before disassembly and keep IT backups separate from items being transported. Test critical systems as early as possible after installation.

Useful information for requesting a quote

For a clear quote, provide full origin and destination addresses, floor level and lift access, number of workstations or approximate office size, list of IT equipment and bulky furniture to move, target date, preferred time window, and whether out-of-hours execution is required.

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