What to Do When Moving Offices: 8 Essential Steps

Moving offices can feel overwhelming — especially if you've never done it before. There are dozens of tasks, strict deadlines, and plenty of ways to get caught out. But not every task is equally important. These are the 8 essential steps that matter most, in the order you should tackle them, so you can focus on what counts and skip the noise.

Step 1: Review Your Lease

Before you do anything else, dig out your current lease and read it carefully. Three things matter most:

• Break clause conditions — most breaks have preconditions (e.g. no outstanding rent, vacant possession, specific notice period). Miss any single one, and the break can be invalidated entirely
• Notice period — typically 3–6 months. This sets your earliest possible move date
• Dilapidation obligations — what you're required to restore before leaving. This can range from a simple clean to full reinstatement of any alterations, costing £10–£30 per sq ft

Your lease determines your timeline and a significant chunk of your costs. Get this wrong, and you could be locked in for longer than expected or face a surprise bill running into tens of thousands.

Step 2: Set Your Budget

You need a realistic number before making any commitments. Most businesses underestimate their move budget because they only count the obvious costs.

As a rough guide, budget £150–£300 per person for the move itself (removals, packing, IT migration, clearance). On top of that, factor in:

• Fit-out and furniture at the new premises (if needed)
• Dilapidations on the old premises
• Business rates overlap between the two sites
• Broadband installation and IT equipment
• 10–15% contingency — something will cost more than expected

For a detailed breakdown with real figures, see our office move cost guide or get a quick ballpark with the free cost estimator.

Step 3: Appoint a Move Coordinator

Every successful office move has one person in charge. Not a committee — one person who owns the project, makes decisions, and keeps everything on track.

For small businesses, this is usually the office manager or a senior team member. For larger moves (50+ people), consider hiring a professional project manager — they typically cost £5,000–£15,000 but save more than that through avoided delays and better supplier management.

The coordinator needs:

• Authority to make decisions and approve spending (within budget)
• Time — this will consume a significant portion of their schedule for weeks
• A support team covering IT, finance, HR, and facilities

Step 4: Book Suppliers Early

Good removal and clearance companies book up quickly, especially during peak periods (quarter-ends, summer). Don't leave this to the last minute.

Get at least three quotes for each major service. When comparing, look beyond price:

• Insurance — check public liability (minimum £5m), employer's liability, and goods in transit cover
• Waste carrier licence — legally required for anyone removing waste from your premises. Verify on the Environment Agency's public register
• References — ask for references from similar-sized moves, and actually call them
• Site visit — any company quoting without a site visit is guessing. Insist on one

For the full list of questions to ask, see our guide to choosing a removal company.

Step 5: Plan Your IT Migration

If your team can't connect, log in, or make calls on day one, nothing else matters. IT is the critical path of any office move.

Order broadband first. Leased lines take 45–90 working days to install. Even standard broadband can take two to four weeks. This should be the very first thing you arrange — before removals, before clearance, before anything else.

Beyond broadband:

• Plan how servers, network equipment, and phones will move
• Back up everything before unplugging anything — and verify the backup works
• Arrange data points and Wi-Fi at the new premises
• Have a fallback plan for day one (4G/5G hotspots, laptops with mobile data)

For the full IT migration plan, see our IT office move checklist.

Step 6: Communicate with Your Team

People handle change well when they're informed and involved. They handle it badly when decisions are sprung on them.

Brief your team as early as possible. Cover:

• Why you're moving and the benefits of the new space
• When — the timeline and key dates that affect them
• What's expected — packing their own desks, labelling, personal item deadlines
• Commute impact — be upfront about how the new location changes travel times
• Moving day — what happens, where to go, who to contact with questions

If the move significantly changes commute distances and there's no mobility clause in contracts, you may have legal consultation obligations — especially for 20+ affected employees. Take advice early if this applies.

For a structured communication plan, see our staff communication guide.

Step 7: Clear and Sort Your Current Office

Most offices accumulate far more than they realise — old furniture, broken equipment, filing cabinets full of documents nobody has opened in years. Moving it all to the new premises is wasteful and expensive.

Walk every room and categorise everything as:

• Keep — moves to the new premises
• Sell — quality furniture and equipment with resale value. Check what yours is worth with our free valuation tool
• Donate — usable items that charities or community groups can use
• Recycle — IT equipment (WEEE regulations apply), paper, metal, plastics
• Dispose — items with no further use. Must go through a licensed waste carrier

A good clearance company will handle all of this and offset furniture resale value against your disposal costs. Don't skip the audit — it determines how much you're moving (and therefore how much the move costs) and ensures you comply with UK waste regulations.

Step 8: Plan Moving Day

By moving day, most of the hard work should be done. The day itself is about execution, not planning.

• Move coordinator on-site all day — directing traffic, answering questions, solving problems
• IT team at both sites — disconnecting at the old premises, reconnecting at the new one
• Test critical systems first — internet, phones, email, key applications. Everything else can wait
• Check items against your inventory — verify nothing is damaged or missing as it arrives
• Set up communal areas first — reception, kitchen, meeting rooms. Gives everyone a functioning base while departments settle in
• Photograph meter readings — at both premises, with dates. Notify utility companies

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first thing you should do when moving offices?

Review your current lease. Check break clause conditions, notice periods, and dilapidation obligations. Everything else — budget, timeline, suppliers — depends on when and how you can leave your current premises. Getting this wrong can cost thousands.

How long does an office move take to organise?

Allow 8–12 weeks for a standard move under 50 people, and 16+ weeks for larger or more complex relocations. The critical bottleneck is usually broadband installation (6–12 weeks for leased lines), so order this as early as possible and plan everything else around it.

What are the legal requirements for moving office in the UK?

You must file a Companies House AD01 form within 14 days, update HMRC within 3 months, and notify the Valuation Office Agency for business rates. Commercial waste must be handled by a licensed waste carrier with proper transfer notes. If 20+ employees face redundancy due to the move, collective consultation is legally required.

Can I organise an office move myself?

For a small office under 10 people, managing the move in-house is feasible with good organisation. Beyond 30 people, the logistics, compliance requirements, and lost productivity typically make professional help more cost-effective — and often cheaper than doing it yourselves when you factor in staff downtime.