Most office moves do not go wrong because of the removal company. They go wrong because something slipped through the gaps in the weeks before — a notification that never went out, an IT lead that was not briefed in time, a parking suspension that was not booked.
This checklist covers 75 tasks across six phases of your office move: early planning, premises and logistics, packing and labelling, notifications and admin, moving day itself, and settling into the new space. Work through it in order, assign each task to a named person, and your move day becomes a logistics exercise rather than a crisis.
It is written by Bestway Relocation — specialists in commercial moves for UK businesses from small professional offices to NHS-affiliated organisations and legal firms. Everything on this list has come up on a real job.
Tip: Print this checklist and tick each item off as it is completed. Assign a name and deadline to every task. A move this size needs ownership, not good intentions.
PHASE 1: EARLY PLANNING — 3 to 6 months before the move
Phase 1: Early Planning
This phase is where the foundation of a smooth move is built — or where the problems that surface on moving day are quietly put in place. Start here, start early.
Decision and scope
1. Confirm the move is happening — get written board or MD sign-off before committing any resource
2. Define your move objectives — more space, lower cost, better location, hybrid-ready premises, lease expiry — write them down
3. Agree target move-in date — work backwards from this date for every subsequent deadline
4. Appoint a move project manager — one named individual with final accountability — not a committee
5. Assemble your move team — include representatives from IT, Finance, HR, and at least one department lead
6. Conduct a current office audit — inventory all furniture, equipment, IT hardware, and documents before anything else
7. Decide what comes with you — flag items for disposal, sale, donation, or storage before scoping the removal
Budget
8. Set your total move budget — include removal, IT, legal, fit-out, packing materials, clearance, signage, and contingency
9. Build in a 10–15% contingency — unexpected dilapidations, emergency parking permits, and last-minute IT fixes are standard
10. Get at least two removal quotes — compare on scope and inclusions, not headline price alone
11. Confirm what transit insurance covers — verify the removal company’s policy covers your IT equipment and specialist items
12. Budget for temporary storage if needed — if there is a gap between leaving and entering the new premises, cost in storage
Legal and lease
13. Review your current lease in full — check notice period, dilapidations obligations, and any reinstatement requirements
14. Serve notice on your current landlord — most leases require three to six months — check yours and do not miss the date
15. Appoint a commercial solicitor — to advise on your exit obligations and negotiate your new lease terms
16. Understand your dilapidations position — get a surveyor’s view on what reinstatement the current landlord will require
Bestway Relocation provides free, no-obligation quotes for office moves of any size, with full itemisation and fixed pricing. Call 0800 014 7676 or visit bestwayrelocation.co.uk/get-a-free-quote/.
PHASE 2: PREMISES AND LOGISTICS — 2 to 4 months before the move
Phase 2: Premises and Logistics
Once the decision is made and the budget is set, the focus shifts to securing the right premises and locking in the key third parties. The earlier you book your removal company, the better — commercial slots, especially for weekends and out-of-hours moves, fill months in advance.
New premises
17. Shortlist and view new premises — prioritise transport links, floor size, IT infrastructure, and access for removal vehicles
18. Confirm lift dimensions and loading access — a building with no loading bay or lift restrictions can turn a one-day move into two
19. Check floor weight ratings — critical if you are moving servers, filing systems, or industrial equipment
20. Confirm fibre broadband availability — check this before signing the lease, not after
21. Negotiate lease terms and break clauses — engage your solicitor — do not sign without reviewing the full lease
22. Agree move-in date with new landlord — get it in writing, including access time on moving day
23. Obtain building access procedures for move day — parking, loading bay bookings, out-of-hours entry, key handover
Removal company
24. Appoint your removal company — confirm they specialise in commercial moves — not a domestic company that also does offices
25. Confirm your move manager is named — one dedicated contact for the whole project, not a shared booking team
26. Confirm out-of-hours availability if needed — weekend, evening, and bank holiday moves minimise business downtime
27. Obtain crate hire quote if needed — reusable heavy-duty crates are greener and more cost-effective than cardboard boxes
28. Book parking suspensions at both addresses — most London boroughs require four to six weeks’ notice — do not leave this late
29. Confirm the removal company holds Ombudsman registration — ensures independent dispute resolution if something goes wrong
Floor plan and layout
30. Obtain accurate floor plan of new premises — confirm dimensions, column positions, fire exit locations, and power socket positions
31. Design your new office layout — involve department leads — agree desk positions, meeting rooms, server room, storage
32. Share the floor plan with your removal company — so every item can be placed directly in its correct position on moving day
33. Label the floor plan with department codes — use colour coding to match the labelling system you will apply to boxes and furniture
Bestway’s dedicated move managers review the floor plans of both premises before moving day — flagging access constraints, sequencing the load order, and ensuring the team arrives with the right vehicles for the job.
PHASE 3: PACKING AND IT — 2 to 4 weeks before the move
Phase 3: Packing, Labelling and IT Preparation
Poor labelling is the number one cause of unpacking chaos. A good system takes thirty minutes to design and saves hours on the other side. IT preparation is a separate workstream — it should be running in parallel with physical packing from this point.
Packing system
34. Design your labelling system before a single box is packed — colour = department, number = destination room on the new floor plan
35. Brief every department on the labelling system — they should not be inventing their own on moving day
36. Order or collect crates and packing materials — Bestway offers crate hire — delivered to your door, collected after the move
37. Pack non-essential items first — books, archives, decorative items, spare stationery — anything not needed daily
38. Ask employees to pack their own desk drawers — and take personal items home before moving day
39. Label every box and item of furniture — department code, destination room, contents summary, handling notes (fragile, this way up)
40. Create a master inventory spreadsheet — every box and major item numbered and logged — critical for insurance claims if anything goes missing
41. Pack items in the correct box size — heavy items in small boxes, lighter items in large — avoid overloaded boxes that split
42. Photograph the contents of every box before sealing — a five-second photograph per box eliminates hours of dispute if something goes wrong
43. Keep an ‘Open First’ box per department — essential items needed immediately on arrival — phones, chargers, basic stationery, kettle
44. Arrange office clearance for items not coming with you — Bestway offers a standalone office clearance service, including responsible recycling
IT preparation
45. Complete a full data backup — verified and tested — not just initiated. Do this before anything is disconnected
46. Photograph all server rack and network configurations — before anything is touched — invaluable for exact reassembly
47. Label every cable at both ends — use numbered cable ties or coloured tape to match cables to their devices and ports
48. Create a hardware inventory — every device, monitor, UPS unit, switch, router, and peripheral — tagged and logged
49. Confirm fibre or broadband is live at the new premises before move day — if it is not confirmed by two weeks before, escalate immediately
50. Brief your removal company on IT handling requirements — Bestway’s teams are trained to handle servers, UPS units, and networking equipment
51. Schedule IT reinstallation time at the new premises — allow a minimum of four hours before your first employee is due to arrive
52. Plan a full connectivity test window — phones, broadband, printers, and all business-critical systems — before the team returns
53. Prepare a disaster recovery plan — if connectivity is not live on move morning, what is the fallback for the first working day?
PHASE 4: NOTIFICATIONS AND ADMIN — 4 to 8 weeks before the move
Phase 4: Notifications and Admin
This phase is the one most businesses start too late. Some notifications — HMRC, Companies House, Royal Mail — have their own processing timescales. Others, like Google Business Profile, affect how clients find you the moment the move is announced.
Legal and regulatory
54. Notify HMRC of your new registered address — update your corporation tax, VAT, PAYE, and any other tax references
55. Update Companies House within 14 days of the move — this is a legal requirement — not optional
56. Notify both local councils for business rates — inform the old council you are leaving, and register with the new one
57. Notify your bank and all financial institutions — include pension providers, invoice finance facilities, and merchant services
58. Update your insurance policies — business insurance, contents, employer’s liability, public liability — all need the new address
59. Inform any regulatory or professional bodies — solicitors notify the SRA, healthcare organisations notify the CQC, etc.
Operational
60. Set up Royal Mail post redirect — run it for a minimum of three months — six is safer for larger businesses
61. Notify all clients and customers — a clear, professional email with new address, effective date, and any contact number changes
62. Notify all suppliers, contractors, and service providers — include IT support, cleaning, security, couriers, and any subscription services
63. Transfer or renegotiate utility contracts — electricity, gas, water — contact providers to transfer accounts, not just update the address
64. Confirm phone number portability with your provider — if your numbers are staying the same, confirm this in writing at least four weeks before
65. Cancel any services tied to the old premises — parking contracts, security monitoring, access systems — all need formal cancellation
Digital and marketing
66. Update Google Business Profile — change the address, submit for verification if prompted — this affects local search immediately
67. Update your website — every page that displays the address: contact page, footer, About Us, schema markup in the code
68. Update email signatures across the whole team — issue a company-wide update — do not rely on individuals to remember
69. Update LinkedIn company page and all social media profiles
70. Order new printed materials in advance — business cards, letterheads, compliment slips, brochures — allow two weeks for print and delivery
PHASE 5: MOVING DAY — the day itself
Phase 5: Moving Day
If Phases 1 to 4 have been executed properly, moving day is the simplest part. The plan is in place, the team is briefed, and the removal company knows exactly what they are doing. Your job on the day is to manage the exceptions, not the plan.
71. Meet the Bestway move manager on site at the agreed time — walk them through both premises — confirm floor plan, access, and any last-minute changes
72. Assign one internal contact to work alongside the removal team all day — one point of contact eliminates confusion and speeds up every decision
73. Prioritise IT infrastructure in the loading sequence — servers and networking equipment should be first on and first off — to maximise setup time at the new premises
74. Do a room-by-room sweep of the old premises before leaving — check every cupboard, ceiling storage space, server room, kitchen, roof terrace, and cellar
75. Photograph every room of the old premises after it is cleared — date-stamped photographs protect you in dilapidations disputes with your landlord
Bestway’s move managers coordinate the entire moving day — from vehicle sequencing and load order through to floor plan placement at the new premises. You brief us once; we handle the rest.
PHASE 6: SETTLING IN — the week after the move
Phase 6: Settling In
The move does not end when the last box is unloaded. The week after the move is when small issues surface, the notifications you sent earlier start to matter, and your team needs to feel settled in the new space.
Use this final phase to close out every open loop:
- Confirm IT and phones are fully operational — escalate anything that is not before your team returns to normal working
- Walk the old premises with your landlord — document the condition jointly, in writing and with photographs
- Confirm Royal Mail redirect is active — send a test piece of post to the old address to verify
- Verify Google Business Profile — confirm the new address is showing correctly in search results
- Send a final address change notification — catch any contacts you missed in Phase 4
- Collect crates if hired — Bestway collects crates from your new premises at a time that suits you
- Ask your team for feedback — what worked, what did not, what they need to feel settled in the new space
- Return crate hire equipment — within the agreed timeframe to avoid additional charges
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an office removal take?
A small office of up to 20 people typically takes one day, assuming good access and a well-labelled move. A medium office of 20 to 50 staff usually requires one to two days. Larger commercial moves may span a weekend. Weekend and out-of-hours moves are the norm for businesses that cannot afford weekday downtime — Bestway Relocation offers these as standard.
Do I need crates or can I use cardboard boxes?
For most office moves, hiring heavy-duty reusable crates is the better option. They are stronger than cardboard, stack cleanly on removal vehicles, protect equipment more effectively, and are significantly more eco-friendly. Bestway’s crate hire service delivers crates to your premises before the move and collects them afterwards — no disposal required.
Who is responsible for packing — us or the removal company?
Both options are available. Bestway’s trained packing team can handle the entire process, using professional materials and the correct packing techniques for each item type — including IT equipment, sensitive documents, and fragile items. Alternatively, your team can pack their own workstations using materials supplied by Bestway. Many businesses choose a hybrid approach: Bestway handles IT and specialist items, staff pack personal desks.
What happens if something is damaged during the move?
Every move handled by Bestway Relocation is covered by comprehensive transit insurance from the point of collection to delivery at the new location. Bestway is also registered with the Removal Industries Ombudsman scheme, which provides independent third-party oversight of any disputes — giving you a formal resolution pathway that operates outside the company’s internal process.
Do I need to notify Companies House when I move office?
Yes. If the new office address is your registered office — the address that appears on your Companies House record — you are legally required to update it within 14 days of the change. This is done via the Companies House online portal and applies to limited companies, LLPs, and other registered entities.
Your Move, Without the Chaos
An office removal handled properly should cost your business nothing more than a weekend. The 75 tasks on this checklist exist to make that the normal outcome — not the lucky one.
Print this list. Assign every item to a named person. Set deadlines. And if you want a removal company that treats your move as the business-critical project it is — with a dedicated move manager, fixed transparent pricing, and Ombudsman-backed protection — Bestway Relocation is ready to quote.
Get Your Free Office Removal Quote → https://bestwayrelocation.co.uk/get-a-free-quote/
