Moving Office: what to sort before, during and after the move

These office relocation tips cover the physical move itself: what to sort before the move, during moving week and move day, and after you arrive at the new office space. It is written as a working checklist for an office manager, operations lead or founder running the move, not as background reading.

This page does not cover whether moving makes sense, how much a relocation costs, the steps specific to leaving coworking for a private office, or the Companies House filing for a new registered office address. Each of those has its own guide, and we link to all four further down rather than repeating them here.

Before the move: 4 to 8 weeks out

The earlier these tasks start, the less gets rushed in the final week. Most delays on moving day trace back to something that should have been booked or ordered here.

When	What to sort	Who owns it	Notes
6 to 8 weeks out	Get at least three mover quotes against the same inventory and access details	Office manager	Our office relocation cost guide sets out what a mover’s quote should cover
6 to 8 weeks out	Confirm IT and connectivity lead times and book any new line or broadband install	IT lead	A new dedicated line can take longer to install than standard broadband, so confirm the date early
5 to 6 weeks out	Build a full office inventory and agree a packing and labelling system	Office manager	Label by destination room or desk, not just by box number
5 weeks out	Book lift, loading bay and parking access at both buildings for move day	Office manager / facilities	Some buildings need advance paperwork or an approved contractor list; check with building management early
4 to 6 weeks out	Order new access cards, fobs or keys for the new office space	Office manager	Confirm the cut-over date with both operators so there is no gap in access
4 to 6 weeks out	Notify your insurer or broker of the new address ahead of the move	Finance / ops	Confirm cover is active at the new address before moving day, not after
4 weeks out	Start updating operational addresses: bank, suppliers, key clients	Finance / ops	Your registered office address at Companies House is a separate legal filing, not an operational update; see our registered office address guide for that process
4 weeks out	Agree the staff communications timeline and who answers questions	HR / comms	Give staff the new address, access details and a moving-week schedule early, not the week of

The week before the move

This is confirmation week, not planning week. Everything booked earlier gets checked, labelled and finalised.

When	What to sort	Who owns it	Notes
5 to 7 days before	Confirm move-day logistics with the removal firm: arrival time, vehicle access, parking	Office manager
5 to 7 days before	Label all boxes and furniture clearly with their destination room or desk	All staff	Use the labelling system agreed in the previous stage
3 to 5 days before	Back up critical IT systems and confirm the data and equipment transport plan	IT lead
3 to 5 days before	Update your Google Business Profile, website contact page and any directory listings with the new address	Marketing / ops	Do this before moving day so search results update early rather than lagging the physical move
2 to 3 days before	Arrange mail redirection and reschedule deliveries to the new address	Office manager
2 days before	Brief the move-day contact person: the single point of contact for movers, IT engineer and building management	Office manager	One named person on-site avoids conflicting instructions on the day
1 to 2 days before	Confirm final meter readings and handover arrangements with the outgoing landlord or operator	Office manager	If a condition check or dilapidations discussion is involved, our office relocation cost guide explains what that process typically covers

Move day checklist

Move day runs smoother with a fixed order: close out the old office properly before opening the new one.

Stage	What to sort	Who owns it	Notes
Morning	Walk through the old office and photograph its condition before anything is removed	Move-day contact	These photos protect you if the handover condition is disputed later
Morning	Hand back keys, access cards and fobs for the old office	Office manager
Morning	Take final meter readings at the old office	Office manager
During the move	Confirm the removal firm has the agreed inventory and access instructions	Move-day contact
During the move	Check IT and connectivity are live at the new office before staff arrive	IT lead	Test phone lines, Wi-Fi and any VoIP numbers before declaring the office open
Afternoon	Unpack and set up priority areas first: reception, meeting rooms, shared equipment	Office manager
Afternoon	Put up signage and update wayfinding at the new building	Office manager
End of day	Issue new access cards and confirm everyone can get in and out	Office manager
End of day	Share a short staff note confirming the office is open and what still needs settling	HR / comms

After the move: first week in the new office space

The first week is when missed updates surface, a bounced invoice, a delivery sent to the old address, a meeting room phone that was never tested properly. Chase these down rather than assuming they will sort themselves out.

Timing	Task	Owner	Notes / link-out
Day 1 to 2	Confirm deliveries, couriers and suppliers are reaching the new address	Office manager
Day 1 to 3	Check that bank, insurer, supplier and client address updates have actually taken effect	Finance / ops	Chase any that still show the old address
Day 1 to 3	Test every meeting room, phone line and shared device fully, not just on move day	IT lead
Day 2 to 5	Walk the old office with the landlord or operator and agree a snagging list before handover completes	Office manager	See our office relocation cost guide for what a handover or dilapidations conversation can involve
Day 3 to 7	Update internal tools, letterheads, email signatures and printed materials with the new address	Marketing / ops / HR
End of week 1	Ask staff for feedback on what is still missing or not working	HR / comms

What to handle elsewhere

Four related questions sit outside this checklist on purpose, each is answered properly elsewhere rather than squeezed in here. If you have not yet decided whether a move makes sense, our guide to renting office space in London covers the decision itself. If the move is specifically from a coworking membership into your own private office, our coworking-to-private-office checklist covers that process in full, including the licence and budget steps that come before the physical move. For what the whole relocation is likely to cost, deposits, legal fees, removals, IT, dilapidations and the rest, see our office relocation cost guide. And if your registered office address is changing, that is a separate filing with Companies House, not something moving desks triggers automatically; our registered office address guide explains what that filing needs.

If you are moving because your current office space no longer fits, myHQ can help you compare coworking and office space options across London.

Frequently asked questions