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Did you originally rent a cheaper office space in a low-traffic spot when your budget was tight? Maybe you’ve always had plenty of customers but want to move to a larger space for your growing company. Whatever your reason, any successful office relocation begins with the appropriate office moving checklist.
At Jordan River Moving and Storage, our local commercial movers in Seattle, Portland, Kirkland, and Columbia understand moving isn’t as simple as packing everything into boxes. We also know it takes months of advanced planning to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Below, we share what we’ve learned about the process, including the must-dos on your checklist for office moves.
How to Prepare for an Office Move
Start preparing at least 12 months before the move by checking when your lease is up since leaving early may cost you your deposit. And if the space you’re leaving isn’t up to par, you may be financially responsible for anything from equipment breakages to chipped walls and scuffed floors. It’s far easier to legally end your lease with as few costs as possible to set aside more funds toward the relocation.
You might also want to use this time to alert others of the move. Alongside providing official notice to your property manager or landlord, relay vital dates to your employees, such as:
- Current lease termination date
- New lease signing date
- Desired moving day
Keeping them in the loop as plans unfold streamlines the decommissioning plan. They can also help iron out the finer details, like adding new contact information to ads or updating the website.
Planning a Successful Office Relocation
Once you understand the timeline, planning an office move is easier with an assigned project manager. They should have outstanding organizational and communication skills to stay within your budget while helping the relocation along. They can also assign decommissioning tasks, from removing logos and replacing bulbs to backing up data, so you won’t lose anything in transition.
A professional moving company could assist with this planning, particularly around safely packing, transferring, and unpacking equipment. The movers will draft a plan with your project manager outlining where and when to move certain items (needed items remain on site longer).
And while you don’t have to hire movers immediately, comparing quotes early gives you options.
The Step-By-Step “Moving Office” Checklist
Once office moving kicks off, a step-by-step office moving checklist helps to prepare both spaces. Some of the checklist items will include the following:
Notify Others of the Change
Once you pin down the new location, let others know of your new address and contact information, including suppliers, vendors, and others, such as:
- Post office
- Bank
- Government departments
- Internet and phone providers
- Companies you have subscriptions or accounts with
After settling into your new space, your new advertisements will also need to relay the location change so that you can retain old customers and find new ones.
Do Another Walk-Through of the New Office to Update Your Moving Office Checklist
You’ve probably already seen the new space, but how thorough was your first look? Revisit it to ensure all electrical and plumbing fixtures are working. However, you should also bring to the new landlord’s attention any hazards that could jeopardize your employees’ health and safety.
Also, get a feel for the floorspace to plan your new design layout. If you’re having trouble placing things for optimal flow or are unsure what to take with you, consider hiring a professional designer.
Deal with Current Inventory Before Moving Office Furniture
Professional designers will help immensely with planning office moves by creating a new layout for your movers to follow. Use this time to review your inventory and determine what you want to take with or throw out. Your office relocation checklist then demands revisiting the mover quotes before moving office furniture or other items from the inventory onto or off of your final list.
Ensure a Cost-Effective Process With the Office Moving On
With the office moving on the bigger and better things, creating a cost-effective move starts by setting a budget to facilitate the transition. How much are you willing to spend on top of the new lease? You should also start preparing (and repairing) your original space before vacating it to prevent unexpected damage costs.
After securing your new office space, research licensed and insured moving teams with competitive rates. Do you want more peace of mind? Put ‘acquire moving coverage’ on your office moving checklist.
Being flexible with your office move plan and budget will also eliminate some of the stress. You may have to cut corners, so consider what is and isn’t negotiable before you start the process.
How Professional Office Relocation Services Can Help
Whether this is your first move or your biggest one yet, a business moving checklist is only the beginning. Hiring professional relocation services allows trained and experienced specialists to facilitate your office’s unique needs with the perfect moving office checklist to achieve your goals.
Why not focus on running your business while the relocation experts do the rest?
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Contact Jordan River Moving and Storage for Office Furniture Moving and Everything in Between
From office moving planning to help with the office furniture moving process, our qualified team has over 20 years in this industry. Our five-star team works from Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Columbia, SC, to help local, long-distance, and overseas clients relocate hassle-free.
For help with an office moving checklist or to request a quote, contact Jordan River Moving and Storage today!
