Office Moving Checklist

What Should Be In Your Office Moving Checklist?

Like most other types of moves, an office move can be an especially daunting endeavor. There is nothing simple or easy about having to relocate an entire team of workers, much less all of the electronics, machinery, high-value office equipment essential to business operation, and existing office furniture. Not to mention the substantial costs associated with the move, and more predominantly the lost time that is likely going to occur during the physical move itself.

Time is crucial for businesses and any significant hours or days of downtime is going to prove very costly for a corporation. However, with that said, the key to executing a successful and efficient office move is proper planning and impeccable organization. That’s where your business can certainly benefit from the assistance of a professional moving company. At Three Movers, it is our goal to minimize the transition time between your old office and your new one, effectively streamlining the entire office relocation process.

In reality, the faster an office move is completed, the sooner your business can get back to normal and the daily operations can resume as typical. We understand that planning an office move, that minimizes downtime, isn’t an easy task. This is why we’ve drafted up an office moving checklist to help ease the process, which will be an effective organization tool to optimize your relocation.

Six Months Before Your Office Move

Some moves are anticipated and some are not but assumming you have enough time to plan your move, there are things you can begin to do as early as six months ahead. Here is an office relocation checklist to help you plan half-year ahead.

• Look at your current lease

  Use this time to examine if you’ll incur a fee for breaking your lease early or if you’re on the hook for a deposit. Also, does the lease say that you are responsible for possible property damage that may occur during the move?

• Gather quotes from various moving companies

  Collect moving quotes from at least three companies that service your area to ensure that you’re getting the best rate and avoid potential scams. Start the estimate process by filling out our convenient online request form.

• Determine if you need moving insurance

  Depending on your business, you may rely on a single piece of equipment that, if broken, will cease operations. Or if not, you still may want to choose higher coverage for your office move. Keep in mind that industry standard is $0.60 per pound, meaning if a 50-pound piece of machinery is damaged or broken, you’ll only get $30 for it.

• Establish a budget

  Setting a budget from the beginning will allow you to prevent overspending and possibly help you save money along the way.

• Designate a planning coordinator

  Choose someone from your team to be the point person, or assemble an entire planning team, for your office move. This will help simplify the process and make communications with your moving company more efficient.

Three to Four Months Before Your Office Move

• Schedule your moving date

  Once you’ve locked down your new office space, schedule the actual date of the move with your moving company.

• Inform your current landlord

  As soon as your moving date is confirmed, speak with your property manager to let them know that you’re terminating your current lease. Or, if your lease is simply ending, this may not be necessary.

• Develop a moving plan

  Create a checklist of your own that lists all the various action items that need to take place for the move (setting up phones, internet installation, packing, etc.).

• Notify all your employees of the impending move

  At this point, you want to tell your entire team members about the upcoming move and educate them on their specific responsibilities.

• Inform all your affiliates

  Anyone externally that needs to be aware of your move to your new office location such as suppliers and local partners should be notified at least three to four months before.

Two Months Before Your Office Move

• Schedule internet and phone installation

  First, locate a company that can provide these moving services at your new location and schedule them for moving day.

• Design a floor plan

  Plan out how you want all of the existing items in your office to be oriented in the new space. You’ll want to pass this information off to your movers so that everything is placed in the right spot.

• Develop a plan for computers and IT equipment

  Confirm with your IT team if they can perform this on their own or if you need to hire outside help.

• Discontinue services at current location

  If you have security, cleaning services, or landscaping, notify them of your move so that the services are terminated when you leave.

One Month Before Your Office Move

• Collect moving supplies

  If you’re having your employees pack up their own desks, you’ll need packing tape, boxes, and labeling materials. Or, this step can be skipped if you’re hiring professional movers.

• Change the business address

  Submit your new address to USPS so that no essential mail is lost during the transition.

• Transfer utilities

  Establish a cancellation date for the utilities at your current location and set up a date for the utilities at your new office to turn on.

One Week Before Your Office Move

• Confirm with your moving company

  Make sure that everything is still going to plan and that the movers will arrive on the set day and time.

• Instruct your employees to pack up their desks

  Doing this the day before moving day will make your move more efficient and even cost less, since your movers won’t have to pack as much.

• Contact a professional cleaning company

  If needed, consider hiring professionals to clean the office you are vacating to avoid any fees from your landlord.

• Survey your new office prior to moving day

  If you can gain access to the new office space before the move, take the time to inspect it. This will allow you to adjust your moving plan and floor plan, if needed, before moving day.

Moving Day

• Pass our access cards or keys to your employees. Collect all the old access cards and distribute new ones to your whole team.
• Meet with your professional office movers. Show them around the office space and tell them your expectations. In most cases, it’ll all be very straightforward and the details will have been discussed prior to moving day.
• Turn the lights on. Obviously, no one wants to operate in the dark, or the cold. Confirm with the utility companies that everything is turned on. If not, you’ll have to call them to troubleshoot the issue.
• Take a final walkthrough. Examine the old office after the movers have left to make sure nothing was forgotten or if there’s anything out of the ordinary that may need to be fixed.
• Set up IT, internet, and phones. If you hired a professional mover, this service may be included in the cost of the move. Otherwise, you can coordinate with your local provider to guarantee that everything in your new office is fully connected.
• Arrange your new office space. Using the floorplan you created, arrange all the furniture, machinery, equipment according to plan. If you’re working with a professional moving company, this is where planning comes in handy. As an added bonus, many movers offer staging services to help with this step.

In need of professional movers for your upcoming office move, look no further than Three Movers for the job. Call us today on (888) 202-0036 or fill out our online form to schedule your free, no-obligation moving estimate and find out how you could save up to 20% when you move with us!

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