The Complete Office Relocation Checklist for Facilities Managers
Office relocations fail on execution more often than on planning gaps that were visible from day one. This checklist is organised by phase, so nothing gets missed between the decision to move and the first fully operational week at the new address.
8-12 weeks before: scope and budget
Confirm the new lease/site and access dates. Build the IT asset inventory (servers, network switches, phone systems, workstations). Identify specialist items needing dedicated handling (safes, archives, large-format printers). Request quotes against one shared brief so suppliers are pricing the same scope.
4-6 weeks before: vendor and IT coordination
Confirm the mover, IT decommission/recommission team, and any furniture disposal or storage vendor. Book loading docks and lifts at both buildings for the move dates. Order new furniture or fit-out items with enough lead time to arrive before move day, not after.
1-2 weeks before: communication and labelling
Notify staff, clients and suppliers of the new address and any planned downtime. Label furniture, boxes and IT equipment by destination zone in the new office, not just by department name. Back up critical data independently of the physical server move as a contingency.
Move day and week one
Have a single point of contact on-site at both locations during the move. Test critical IT systems (network, phones, key applications) before declaring the new site operational. Walk the vacated site for damage and lease-return condition before handing back keys.