An office relocation checklist, from finding space to day one.

A typical office move for a company of 50-150 people takes six to twelve months from the decision to the first day in the new space. Most delays happen not on site but during the search for space, lease negotiations and design sign-off. What follows is a structured list to help you avoid missing the critical points.

Phase 1. Strategy and the decision to move

9-12 months before the move

1. Check when the current lease expires and what notice the break clause requires, usually three to six months.
2. Run an internal survey, asking department heads about space needs and working patterns.
3. Set a target floor area, using a calculator or published standards for a first estimate.
4. Approve the fit-out and relocation budget, splitting it into capital spend (build, furniture) and operational spend (the move itself, IT transfer, telecoms).
5. Appoint an internal project lead with authority to decide and sign off.
6. Set geographic priorities - the district, transport links, parking.

Phase 2. Finding and choosing space

7-9 months before the move

1. Write up the technical requirements - floor, ceiling height, column grid, number of lifts, whether there is a goods lift.
2. Ask several brokers, or landlords directly, for proposals.
3. Bring in a fit-out contractor to assess the shortlist technically before the lease is signed.
4. Check the baseline condition - CAT A or shell and core, whether sprinklers, ventilation and power capacity are in place.
5. Check the lease documents - who pays service charges, how the rent is indexed, whether there is a renewal option.
6. Negotiate a rent-free period for the fit-out.
7. Get the landlord's contribution to the fit-out fixed as a schedule to the lease.
8. Sign the lease and get access to the site for a survey.

Phase 3. Design

5-7 months before the move

1. Run a visioning session with leadership - company values, culture, expectations for the new office.
2. Sign off the layout concept - the balance of desks, meeting rooms, collaboration space and quiet zones.
3. Agree materials, colours and style, based on the brand guidelines or a separate design brief.
4. Get the working design with every engineering section included.
5. Get landlord sign-off for any change affecting the structure or shared building systems.
6. Approve the final estimate, holding a 10% contingency against the construction budget.
7. Sign the fit-out contract.

Phase 4. Construction and procurement

2-5 months before the move

1. Hand the site to the contractor, with a signed handover record and photos of the existing condition.
2. Place orders for long-lead items in the first two weeks - glass partitions, made-to-order seating, custom decorative panels.
3. Set a weekly progress meeting rhythm.
4. Approve every design change in writing through a formal change order process, before work starts on it, not after.
5. In parallel, sign contracts with an internet and telecoms provider at the new address.
6. Start planning the IT move - server hardware, phone system, wireless access points.
7. Notify counterparties, banks and regulators of the change of registered address, if the address is changing.
8. Order the furniture and pay the deposit.

Phase 5. Getting ready to move

4-6 weeks before the move

1. Walk the site and build a punch list of defects to close before the move.
2. Agree the date and logistics of the physical move with a removals contractor.
3. Arrange packing for archives and staff personal items.
4. Take inventory of the equipment that is moving and the equipment being written off.
5. Prepare staff communications - the moving plan, the new address, parking, the first day date.
6. Check the access control system and issue cards to key staff ahead of the move date.

Phase 6. The move and settling in

Move week and the first days

1. Do a final walk of the new office before the furniture arrives, confirming every punch list item is closed and every system works.
2. Position furniture and equipment against the final layout plan.
3. Test IT - internet, phones, printers and video conferencing in every meeting room.
4. Clean twice, first the construction clean, then a final clean before staff arrive.
5. Run a technical help line for staff on the first working day.
6. Collect feedback from the team after four to six weeks - what is working, what needs adjusting.
7. Close out the old office - return it in the agreed condition and sign the handback record.

Critical mistakes to avoid

Most moves that run over budget or over time share a handful of common mistakes. The first is starting too late. A company that begins the search four months before its lease expires ends up making compromises under deadline pressure. The second is a budget with no contingency. The final fit-out cost is almost always higher than the first estimate. The third is combining the move with a major IT transformation. Changing the ERP system and the physical space at the same time doubles the operational risk. The fourth is underestimating how long landlord approvals take. Changes to the structure or engineering need written sign-off that can take weeks.