An office relocation checklist covers planning, suppliers, IT and phones, staff communication, packing, moving day and the first week in the new office. Start as early as you can and give one person ownership. This guide gives a phased checklist and timeline for Southampton businesses.
An office move is a project, not an errand. It touches your lease, your suppliers, your IT, your staff and your customers, and a gap in any one of them can cost you a day of work. The businesses that move well are the ones that start early, give the move an owner and work from a list.
We move offices across Southampton and Hampshire, in business hours, after hours and at weekends, and we see the same things trip people up. This office relocation checklist is a step by step plan and timeline for Southampton businesses. It covers planning, suppliers and IT, staff communication, packing, moving day and the first week in the new office. Use it as the master list, and adapt it to your own business.
What should an office relocation checklist include?
Seven areas cover most moves, and this guide takes them in turn.
- Planning: an owner, a timeline and a lease position.
- Suppliers and IT: the removal company, broadband, phones and equipment.
- Staff communication: who needs to know what, and when.
- Packing and labelling: desks, IT, files and furniture.
- Moving day or weekend: the order of the move, access and parking.
- After the move: testing, address changes and the first week.
- Old furniture and equipment: what to do with what you are not taking.
Planning: who owns the move and what is the timeline
Start by naming one person as the owner of the move. It does not have to be the managing director, but it should be someone with the time and the authority to make decisions. Without an owner, tasks fall between people, and things are missed.
- Agree the key dates: the lease end at the old office, the start of the new one and the target moving date.
- Check the notice and any conditions on the lease at both ends, and any work you need to complete before you leave.
- List the budget headings, such as removals, IT, phones, fit-out, signage and any dilapidations, without committing to figures until you have quotes.
- Set up a simple tracker, with a task, an owner, a date and a status for each item.
- Agree how you will communicate progress, to the team and to the directors.
Give yourself as much time as you can. We advise small offices to allow at least two weeks, and larger relocations to allow four to six weeks, before the date, to book the removal company and plan the move. The rest of the project, such as broadband and fit-out, may need longer, so start those sooner.
Suppliers and IT
Some suppliers work to long lead times, so book them first. The removal company, the broadband provider and the phone provider are the main ones.
- Removal company: book a site survey early. We offer free on-site surveys, and a dedicated project manager for each office move. Our guide to office move site surveys and written quotes explains what to expect.
- Broadband and phones: ask your providers for lead times, because a new line or a new number can take time to arrange. Do not assume a move date will be met without confirmation.
- IT equipment: list servers, desktops, monitors, network switches, printers and cabling, and decide who will disconnect and reconnect them. We move IT equipment, with cables labelled, and can work with your IT provider.
- Security and access: arrange keys, fobs, alarms and any building access at both ends.
- Insurance: check that your office insurance covers the move and the new premises.
Staff communication
A move works better when people know what is happening. Tell staff early, and keep telling them, because a single announcement is easily forgotten.
- Tell staff the date, the new address, the commute and any changes to working arrangements.
- Share the seating plan, and how desks and belongings will be labelled and packed.
- Say what staff need to do, such as clearing their desks and labelling personal items.
- Plan for remote and hybrid staff, and who will be where on the day. Our guide to confidential documents and remote working covers this in more detail.
- Tell customers, suppliers and partners your new address and date, in good time.
Packing and labelling
Good packing and labelling saves time at both ends. Label each box, crate and piece of furniture with the department, the desk or the room at the new office, so the team can put it in the right place without asking.
- Use a clear labelling system, with a colour or a code for each department.
- Use IT crates or boxes for equipment, and label the cables.
- Pack confidential files separately, and decide who is responsible for them. Our guide to confidential document removal explains the options.
- Furniture: desks, partitions and shelving can be dismantled and reassembled. We offer this, with wall and floor protection, so tell us what you would like us to handle.
- Packing service: we offer packing and unpacking for offices, with specialist materials for fragile items.
Moving day or weekend
Decide when the move should happen. Many businesses choose a weekend, or an evening or early-morning slot, to reduce the impact on work. We offer business hours, after-hours, evening, weekend and early-morning moves, so ask what suits your operation. Our guide to weekend office moves in Southampton explains how it works.
- Agree the order of the move, such as IT first, then furniture, then files.
- Confirm access at both ends, including lifts, loading bays, parking and any building rules.
- Have a named contact on site at both ends, with a phone number, for questions.
- Brief the team on anything special, such as fragile items, confidential files or restricted areas.
- Check equipment against a list as it arrives, and note any damage straight away.
Our guides to moving an office without losing a working day and to moving when you have outgrown your office go into more detail on planning the day and the decision to move.
After the move
The move is not over when the last box is in. The first week is when problems show up, so plan for it.
- Test IT, phones, printers and the network as soon as you can, before staff arrive if possible.
- Update your address with customers, suppliers, banks, insurers and Companies House, and on your website, signage and stationery.
- Check that your insurance covers the new premises.
- Keep an issues log, and assign each problem to someone.
- Deal with any old furniture and equipment left behind. Our office removals service includes office clearance, so ask us about it.
- Ask staff for feedback, and fix small things while they are fresh.
A sample timeline
Every office is different, so treat this as a shape rather than a rule. It works backwards from moving day.
- Three months or more before: agree the move in principle, check the lease and notice, start looking at premises and set up the tracker.
- Six to eight weeks before: confirm the new premises, choose the owner, order broadband and phones, and book the removal company survey.
- Four to six weeks before: confirm the removal booking, plan the layout and seating, tell staff and start the customer notices.
- Two to four weeks before: begin packing non-essential items, label furniture and equipment, arrange building access and confirm the IT plan.
- The final week: pack the remaining items, back up data, confirm timings with everyone and brief the team.
- Moving day: work through the order of the move, with a named contact at each end.
- The first week: test everything, log problems, update addresses and gather feedback.
If your office is small, you can compress this. If it is large, or has specialist IT, start earlier. Whatever the size, the removal company and the broadband provider are the two suppliers to book first.
Summary
- Give the move an owner and a timeline.
- Book surveys and long-lead suppliers early.
- Communicate with staff at every stage.
- Test IT and phones straight after the move.
FAQs
Give the move an owner, set a timeline, book the long-lead suppliers first, tell your staff, label everything and plan the first week. Use a tracker with a task, an owner and a date for each item.
It depends on the size of the office. We advise small offices to allow at least two weeks to book and plan the removals, and larger relocations four to six weeks. Broadband, phones and fit-out may need longer, so start those early.
Many businesses do, because it reduces disruption. We offer evening, weekend and early-morning moves, as well as business hours. Choose the slot that works for your operation.
One named person with the time and the authority to make decisions. We also assign a dedicated project manager to each office move, who works with your owner.
Sell, donate or dispose of it before you move, or ask us about office clearance. Decide early, so the team knows what is coming and what is staying.
One Last Thought
Planning an office move in Southampton or Hampshire? Call K2 Swift Removals on 023 8111 3116 or 07356 097791 and we will arrange a free on-site survey and a straight quote.
