Office move checklist: what to do and when

By the ReloCore UK team · 21 October 2026 · 6 minute read

Plan an office move about three months ahead. Fix the date and pick a removals company that walks round both sites first. Then plan the floor plan, IT and building access, tell everyone your new address, pack and label to the floor plan, and move out of hours if you can't close for a day.

Here's the full checklist, stage by stage. It's the order we work to on the office moves we run across Manchester and the North West.

1. 1. 3 months before

   Set the date and pick your removals company

   • Check your lease end date and the notice you have to give, and agree the date you get the keys to the new place.
   • Pick one person in the business to run the move and make decisions. Everyone else goes through them.
   • Get floor plans of the new office, or measure it, so you know what fits before anything is ordered.
   • Get quotes from removals companies. A good one walks round both sites before pricing and gives you the price in writing.

2. 2. 2 months before

   Plan the layout, IT and access

   • Draw up the floor plan: who sits where, meeting rooms, storage, printers. Give every desk and room a number.
   • Decide what furniture moves, what gets sold or donated, and what needs taking away.
   • Tell your IT and phone suppliers the date. New broadband and phone lines can take weeks to install, so order them now.
   • Find out the rules at both buildings: loading bay times, goods lift bookings, parking and any out-of-hours access.
   • Tell your staff the date and the plan.

3. 3. 1 month before

   Tell people and clear out

   • Update your address with clients, suppliers, your bank, your insurer and HMRC.
   • If your registered office is changing, tell Companies House.
   • Update your website, email signatures, Google Business Profile and printed stationery.
   • Clear out old files and archive boxes. Shred anything confidential rather than moving it.
   • Book crates for packing, with labels to match the floor plan numbers.

4. 4. 2 weeks before

   Pack and label

   • Crates arrive. Each person packs their own desk, and every crate gets the number of the desk or room it's going to.
   • Label furniture and IT the same way, so it lands in the right spot at the other end.
   • Back up your data before any computer is unplugged.
   • Pack shared areas such as the kitchen, stationery and filing last.

5. 5. Move week

   Confirm and move

   • Confirm the loading bay, lift slots, parking and keys at both buildings.
   • Shut down IT, label the cables and leave it for the crew to pack.
   • Move out of hours or over a weekend if you can't afford a day closed, or move the busiest rooms first and the rest while you work.
   • Have your move lead on site at both ends to answer questions.

6. 6. The week after

   Settle in and hand back

   • Walk the new office with the floor plan and note anything that needs moving or fixing.
   • Make sure the old office is left empty and clean for the landlord's handback.
   • Keep the waste transfer notes for anything that was taken away.