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    • Home
    • About Us
    • Move Planning
      • Office Moving Checklist
      • Office Relocation Cost
      • Furniture Cost Estimator
      • Move Planning Tools
    • Services
      • Construction/TI
      • Project Management
      • Furniture
      • Technology Services
      • Building Decommission
      • Lease Surrender
    • Resources
      • Renewal vs Relocate
      • AI Tools
      • Risk Management
    • Contact
    • Outsourcing
    • Gallery
    • Office Move Planning
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Move Planning
    • Office Moving Checklist
    • Office Relocation Cost
    • Furniture Cost Estimator
    • Move Planning Tools
  • Services
    • Construction/TI
    • Project Management
    • Furniture
    • Technology Services
    • Building Decommission
    • Lease Surrender
  • Resources
    • Renewal vs Relocate
    • AI Tools
    • Risk Management
  • Contact
  • Outsourcing
  • Gallery
  • Office Move Planning

Office Move Checklist: Step-by-Step Business Relocation Time

Moving an office involves much more than packing boxes. Businesses must coordinate building access, technology relocation, furniture installation, and employee communication while minimizing downtime.


This office move checklist provides a step-by-step planning timeline used by facilities teams and project managers to organize a successful relocation. Follow the timeline below to stay on schedule and avoid the most common commercial moving mistakes.

Office Move Checklist for Businesses

90–60 Days Before Move: Lock the Plan

45–30 Days Before Move: Vendors + Building Logistics

90–60 Days Before Move: Lock the Plan

Goals: timeline, scope, budget, and building approvals.

  • Confirm move date(s), hours allowed (nights/weekends), and elevator reservations
  • Request building COI requirements + move rules (dock access, padding, floor protection, security)
  • Decide the move scope: contents only vs contents + furniture vs decommission + disposal
  • Create your master inventory (people, departments, furniture, IT, specialty items)
  • Define “keep / move / donate / recycle / dispose” rules (who decides?)
  • Identify IT risk items: server room, network closets, printers/MFDs, WAPs, phones
  • Choose your move approach: phased, weekend cutover, or swing-space
  • Assign an internal move lead + department captains
  • Set a budget range and add a contingency (common surprises: after-hours, parking, access constraints)

90–60 Days Before Move: Lock the Plan

45–30 Days Before Move: Vendors + Building Logistics

90–60 Days Before Move: Lock the Plan

Goals: timeline, scope, budget, and building approvals.

  • Confirm move date(s), hours allowed (nights/weekends), and elevator reservations
  • Request building COI requirements + move rules (dock access, padding, floor protection, security)
  • Decide the move scope: contents only vs contents + furniture vs decommission + disposal
  • Create your master inventory (people, departments, furniture, IT, specialty items)
  • Define “keep / move / donate / recycle / dispose” rules (who decides?)
  • Identify IT risk items: server room, network closets, printers/MFDs, WAPs, phones
  • Choose your move approach: phased, weekend cutover, or swing-space
  • Assign an internal move lead + department captains
  • Set a budget range and add a contingency (common surprises: after-hours, parking, access constraints)

45–30 Days Before Move: Vendors + Building Logistics

45–30 Days Before Move: Vendors + Building Logistics

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

Goals: book vendors, confirm access, prevent day-of chaos.

  • Book mover(s) and confirm crew size + truck access
  • Confirm packing approach (employee-pack vs full-service) and order materials
  • Walk both sites with the mover: elevators, dock, turns, door clearances, staging areas
  • Confirm furniture disassembly/reassembly responsibilities
  • Confirm IT support plan (internal IT vs vendor) + cutover day/time
  • Plan labeling: floor plan maps, color codes, destination tags
  • Confirm new site readiness: electrical, internet circuit/live date, access cards, keys
  • Set “no surprises” rules: who can approve change orders and at what dollar amount?

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

Goals: keep employees productive and protect data/gear.

  • Send employee move instructions (what to pack, what not to pack, deadlines)
  • Label all workstations and shared equipment (printers, monitors, docking stations)
  • Back up critical data; confirm device encryption and chain-of-custody requirements
  • Identify sensitive areas: HR files, finance, legal, R&D — assign special handling
  • Confirm disposal/recycling plan for e-waste and furniture (and where it goes)
  • Stage packed items by department; avoid blocking exits and walkways
  • Confirm building move day contacts (property manager, security, dock master)

7 Days Before Move: Final Confirmations

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

7 Days Before Move: Final Confirmations

Goals: confirm every detail and reduce move-day decisions to zero.

  • Reconfirm start time, access points, elevator schedule, parking permits
  • Print floor plans and post them at entrances + elevator lobbies
  • Prepare a “Day-Of Kit”: tape, labels, markers, zip ties, tools, batteries, power strips
  • Confirm IT cutover checklist: ISP live, firewall, switches, WAP placement, testing plan
  • Confirm who’s on-site for deliveries and who can approve last-minute changes
  • Stage “First Day Open” items: front desk, HR, execs, core teams, conference rooms

Move Day: Execution Checklist

21–14 Days Before Move: Communications + Pre-Move Prep

7 Days Before Move: Final Confirmations

Goals: protect the building, protect assets, keep the schedule.

  • Building protection installed (pads, corner guards, floor runners)
  • Sign-in/out for vendors and restricted areas
  • Elevator and dock control (one person owns it)
  • Confirm labeling accuracy before loading begins
  • Track high-value items separately (IT gear, artwork, specialty equipment)
  • Do a “last sweep” of the old site: drawers, cabinets, kitchen, storage, server closets
  • Confirm placement at new site matches floor plan (avoid re-moving items twice)
  • Test IT basics before crews leave: internet, Wi-Fi, printers, phones, conference rooms

Common Office Moving Mistakes

Common Office Move Mistakes That Cost Money


  • Waiting too long to reserve freight elevators or dock access
  • Hiring movers without commercial relocation experience
  • Planning IT relocation too late in the process
  • Failing to plan labeling and floor mapping for furniture placement
  • Ignoring lease decommission requirements (patch, paint, cleaning)
  • Not coordinating furniture installation with the moving schedule

Want us to sanity-check your plan?

Planning a relocation? Send us your office size, or employee count, destination city, and target move date.


We’ll review your plan and highlight potential cost drivers and timeline risks.

Request a Free Office Move Review

Office Move Planning Tools

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