How to Plan a Smooth Office Relocation: Step-by-Step Checklist

How to Plan a Smooth Office Relocation: Step-by-Step Checklist
Office relocations are a major milestone for any company, and, with proper planning, potential disruptions can be minimised and the transition made seamless and effective.
Developing an organised checklist acts as a roadmap for the office manager and others participating in the office relocation. It enables a smoother transition between office locations and significantly reduces potential disruptions to business operations.
Below is a practical checklist for your office move.
1. Early Planning Stages (6–12 Months Ahead)
An office relocation checklist is carefully crafted to make the moving day less stressful and considerably more manageable. We recommend starting the process at least six months before relocating, and preferably up to a year in advance. The larger the company, the more extensive the necessary planning.
Determine Reasons and Goals for the Move
What does your future company require from a workspace? Is an office relocation anticipated because the business is experiencing rapid growth, with headcount increasing and new clients onboarding daily?
When considering space requirements, do not focus solely on the current personnel; otherwise, you will underestimate your actual requirements for 6–12 months from now. The last thing you need is to go through all the effort of a business relocation only to realise that the anticipated 20% increase in employees was insufficient.
There are solutions to this challenge, of course, including renting a serviced office for overflow staff. However, when planning an office move, allow for post-move business expansion.
Choosing the Right New Office Location
Location is vital for business. A new space should be located near major transport links, with local amenities nearby, and should also offer ample parking on-site for staff and visitors. Regal Court Business Centre is strategically situated on Slough High Street, just a short walk from Slough train station with direct access to London Paddington in 17 minutes. Easy access to major motorways (M4, M25, M40) opens up the whole region. Parking is available free of charge, with over 100 spaces, including visitor parking and EV charging points.
Staff wellbeing and access to alternative spaces rank high on the priority list at Regal Court Business Centre – we offer well-appointed breakout areas with kitchens, secure bike storage, and fully disability-accessible facilities. The centre delivers a sense of professionalism and convenience, being strategically positioned just 20 miles from Central London.
Regular networking events are hosted throughout the year to encourage collaboration among our diverse business community, which spans finance, agriculture, light industry, manufacturing, education, automotive, R&D, healthcare, science, and services.
2. Mid-Phase Planning (3–6 Months Before the Move)
The prospect of a new office address looms over you at the 3 to 6-month mark. It is closer to becoming reality. Take meaningful steps to ensure a smooth transition.
Budgeting and Financial Planning
Effective budgeting and financial planning are crucial for the smooth operation of any company. Often, additional expenses are associated with relocating to a new office. If a relocation team has been assembled, they must accurately identify what these are, making sure that nothing vital is overlooked.
Typical costs include the new rent, rental deposit, furnishings, office renovations, and moving services to relocate existing furnishings, fixtures, and equipment to the new location.
Look for economical choices wherever possible. Does the office supplier include furnishings with the office rental? Are the internet and utilities included, or are there expensive set-up fees to get connected? Regal Court delivers office furnishings, high-speed fibre broadband, VoIP telephony, and utilities included with their managed offices.
Vendor Selection and Management
As part of an ultimate office move checklist, selecting the right moving company is not always given sufficient priority. Inattention can cause the moving process to derail. Poorly packaged and improperly secured office equipment can get damaged during transit. This can cause additional disruption to your business.
The IT team is a vital area where everything must be accurate; otherwise, employees will be unable to log in and continue with their work. Ideally, a team dedicated to the IT relocation is required. When other vendors or third parties are involved, coordinate with them in advance to ensure continued operations.
Obtain multiple price quotes for the office move. Compare genuine vendor reviews to identify the ideal option. Check how many years they have successfully delivered their services. Has anything ever gone wrong? If so, what lessons did they learn from the experience?
3. Pre-Move Preparations (1–3 Months Before the Move)
Understanding all the moving components allows solid, advanced preparation.
Employee Preparation and Communications
Notify employees of the pending move. Discuss it openly and answer questions to alleviate any fears.
Ask staff whether there are vendors or other parties they deal with directly that need to be informed. And if so, how far in advance?
Ensure that the ideal people are concentrated on the change in office location. Any moving plan must keep the relevant staff informed about what is expected of them. Monitor assigned tasks to ensure nothing is overlooked.
IT and Infrastructure Planning
IT relocation demands careful planning and execution. It is separate and distinct from the office move.
Access to electrical power, electrical socket locations, and Ethernet network sockets (or the provision of secure Wi-Fi) is important. Develop a floor plan, mapping all the existing power plugs, where any extension cords are needed, and wire safety covers (to prevent tripping up), where appropriate.
Include all computer equipment, such as servers, workstations, printers, and other miscellaneous items, on the floor plan. Equipment should be issued a colour-coded label indicating the department to which it belongs.
Use a data backup checklist to enable recovery of any hardware that has suffered data corruption or a drive failure due to relocation. Additionally, ensure that backup hardware is available to replace damaged equipment and minimise downtime.
4. Final Month and Moving Week
The upcoming move is now almost here.
Packing and Labelling Techniques
As the time approaches, pack away less frequently used office equipment and spare furniture. Best practices for this include using appropriately sized boxes and taped bubble wrap padding around items to safeguard them during transit.
Labelling strategies work ideally when adopting different colour codes per department. From there, assign every employee a unique identifier and apply this code to their desk, chair, and other relevant equipment.
Last-Minute Checks and Contingency Plans
Review the final instructions with the moving company to ensure everyone is in agreement. The same applies to employees. This includes keeping them informed and ensuring that nothing has arisen that has not been communicated to the office move planning team.
Develop a contingency plan for critical business operations that could be disrupted by an operational hiccup or issue, potentially resulting in negative impacts to customer relations or business functionality. This could involve leveraging the private cloud, disaster recovery systems, or alternative methods.
Final Condition of the Old Office
The terms of the office lease or office licence regarding building and installed system wear and tear protect the landlord. Remove company branding from the office. Check whether removing it has revealed previously hidden damage, such as discoloured paintwork or mounting holes.
The tenant planning to leave the lease is responsible for dilapidation costs, which involve returning the building and its interior to their original state, as per the applicable provisions.
Complete any necessary repairs well in advance of moving day. Take photographs of the repairs and document any problematic areas for future reference. Review the repairs with the landlord and confirm whether they meet the required standards.
Matters Relating to a Change of Address
Compile a list of all organisations, government statutory bodies, banking institutions, service providers, service contract companies, utility providers, and other relevant entities. Notify them of the move date, new address, and any other important details.
Contact the telecom provider to discuss plans for redirecting phone lines until new ones can be installed.
Letterheads, compliment slips, business cards, and other stationery need to be updated with the new contact information.
Confirm that the new office’s security systems are functioning before relocation day. This prevents any unfortunate access issues that could create complications in the process.
5. Moving Day
Ready for the business move today?
Key Activities and Timeline for the Move Day
Prepare a comprehensive moving day plan document. Include a detailed timeline and an hourly schedule for all participants in the move, including staff, outside movers, and setup personnel.
Note any damage to the old office revealed when moving furniture and potentially during the removal process. Photograph any new areas of concern and update the previous landlord accordingly.
Each employee needs to be aware of their duties and responsibilities.
6. Post-Move Setup and Adjustment
The move is done, but what is left to do?
Setting Up the New Office
The office layout sets the foundation for what is to follow – organise office furniture by department to arrange it based on established teams.
IT infrastructure, including servers, workstations, printers, phones, and other hardware, follows next.
Get essential services operational quickly via phone lines, call redirection, and other requirements.
Employee Adjustment and Feedback
Guarantee a smooth office transition for employees. Designate one person per team to be responsible for resolving department-specific issues.
Bring up more significant concerns that involve multiple departments, with the office move planners. Compile a list to avoid contacting the organisers more than once. Highlight the most urgent issues to guarantee they are given priority.
7. Future Planning and Considerations
Conduct a post-move review once the dust has settled. How should it affect future planning and other considerations?
Evaluate the Move’s Impact on Business Operations
How were operations affected or impacted by the move? Would it have been worth setting up IT systems and relocating some items to the new office ahead of the move day? Or was it practical to relocate in a single day and keep running the company?
Would it be beneficial to make any adjustments to the moving plan for future office relocations?
Continual Improvements and Adjustments
Be willing to make office adjustments in light of new floor plans that turn out to be less than ideal. Can they be improved over a weekend or a quiet period?
Have workflows highlighted areas in need of improvement? Can these be facilitated in the new office space, where it is more feasible to reimagine systems and processes?
The Regal Court Advantage
Moving to a new workspace becomes significantly easier when you select Regal Court Business Centre. Our comprehensive approach to office solutions enables entrepreneurs to focus on their core business activities, rather than being overwhelmed by logistical complexities. With fully furnished offices accommodating 1–60 people, we eliminate the stress associated with sourcing furniture and coordinating installations.
Our integrated service model transforms the conventional office move approach. Rather than managing separate contracts for internet, telephone systems, utilities, and maintenance, Regal Court consolidates these essential services. This unified approach reduces administrative burden and ensures seamless coordination between operational elements, resulting in predictable transition timelines and reduced risk of service interruptions.
The strategic advantages of our High Street location extend beyond simple convenience. Being positioned within walking distance of Slough train station creates immediate connectivity to London’s business districts, while proximity to major motorway networks facilitates easy access for clients and partners. Our staffed reception services, available during business hours, provide operational continuity, ensuring that calls and deliveries are handled appropriately during your transition period.
What to Consider When Planning Your Move
While Regal Court’s ready-to-use approach significantly reduces setup complexity, companies must still carefully coordinate the technical aspects of their relocation. The integration of existing IT systems with our high-speed fibre broadband and VoIP telephony requires advanced planning to ensure a smooth data migration process. Businesses should allocate sufficient time for testing these connections before fully committing to the workspace.
The flexibility of our office solutions sometimes masks the importance of accurate space planning. Companies experiencing rapid growth may find themselves needing additional space sooner than anticipated, while those in transitional phases may discover they have overestimated their immediate needs. It is essential to have realistic discussions about projected staffing levels and operational requirements over the next 12 to 18 months.
Moving to a business centre environment represents more than just a change of address – it often involves adapting to a shared workspace culture. While our diverse business community creates valuable networking opportunities, it also means adjusting to different working styles and facility-sharing protocols. Teams accustomed to complete autonomy over their workspace might need time to adapt to the collaborative atmosphere.
Although our inclusive pricing model covers most operational expenses, companies should still budget for one-time transition costs such as professional moving services, temporary productivity losses, and potential modifications to existing business processes. The convenience of our all-inclusive approach should not overshadow the need for comprehensive financial planning.
Conclusion
Planning and executing an office move is a major undertaking. Selecting the location, acquiring the office, planning new office layouts and furnishings, budgeting for the move, preparing your teams, hiring movers, and completing everything is time-consuming.
There are always lessons to be learned from experience; we hope this blog post gives you clear indications about what to expect. At Regal Court, we aim to make office relocations as painless as possible.