Before you can start moving your office, you need to consider how long it will actually take. The longer your office is closed for business, the less business you’re going to be getting so you need to move to your new office as quickly and painlessly as possible.
How Long Does It Take To Move Offices?
The timeline between looking at new offices and then completely unpacking into your new workspace, usually lasts up to 12 months. There are lots of moving parts and things to consider when moving.
Until you have experience moving an office, you may not realise how much time it takes to:
- Complete Negotiations With Landlords And Solicitors
- Office To Be Designed And Checked
- Work On The Office Commences!
- The Moving Date Is Coming Up, Is Your Office Ready?
- Book A Moving Service To Get All Furniture And Technology To New Office Securely
- Give Yourself Enough Time To Set Up All Computers And Phones
- Give Yourself A Realistic Timescale On How Long It Will Take To Unpack Everything
When we write it all up into a small list, it doesn’t seem so bad. If you’re organised, your office move can run smoothly. Prepare adequate time for each segment of the moving process and keep on top of any services you have hired to help you move. Any delays can push your office opening back weeks, months or even years.
Right, you’ve found the office you want to move into, how long does it take to be open for business? We’ve given our recommended advice on how much time you should put aside for each task.
1) Complete Negotiations With Landlords And Solicitors
If you are renting an office property, you need to prepare time to negotiate all terms and conditions with your landlord. This can be a timely process to get all paperwork signed and checked by the solicitors.
3 to 6 months
2) Office To Be Designed And Checked
When moving into a new office, a workspace design company will need time to inspect the property and draw up new fittings and designs for your workspace. Waiting for the designs can take a few weeks or longer if you want edits to be made. They will need to comply with all health and safety regulations too. Finally, the designs will have to be approved by the landlord before you start any work.
1 to 3 months
3) Work On The Office Commences!
The length of time it will take for your office to be designed and fitted with new furniture will depend on the size of your office. If you have a small office space for 20 people, the work will take less time compared to a working space designed for up to 100 people.
Before any work starts on your new office space, talk to your office refurbishment company and they can give you an estimate of how many weeks or months you will have to wait until their part of the project could be ready.
Depends on size of office – 1 to 4 months
Worried You’ll Forget Something Important During Your Office Move? Use Our FREE Checklist
4) The Moving Date Is Coming Up, Is Your Office Ready?
As the moving day approaches, double check your new workspace is ready for moving into. Any unexpected delays can delay other tasks. Make sure your path is clear!
5) Book A Moving Service To Get All Furniture And Technology To New Office Securely
If you want to transport any of your furniture and office supplies from your old office to you new one, you need to find a delivery company to help you move. Book in advance to avoid struggling to find a delivery service last minute. Make sure volumes and timeframes are agreed in advance so both parties know what to expect.
Less than 1 week
6) Give Yourself Enough Time To Set Up All Computers And Phones
Sometimes you get lucky and set up a new office space with great internet, instantly. This obviously isn’t always the case…
If you have an in-house technical support team or you are going to have to ask for outside help, talk to them before moving to ask them how long it will take to get everything up and running. Depending on the number of computers, phones, printers and any other tech you need to set up, give yourself some extra time just in case you face any bugs that might slow you down.
1 to 3 weeks
7) Give Yourself A Realistic Timescale On How Long It Will Take To Unpack Everything
Unpacking the belongings of 6 employees is obviously going to take a lot less time than moving an office of 50. Before you can open the new office, everything has to be organised and be in tip top condition to be ready to run without any issues.
1 to 4 weeks
Agreeing contracts with landlords and designing the new office space can consume most of your timeline during your office move. If your office relocation is to a big city, it can take over a year to finalise contracts, get the office designed and finally move in.
Keep On Top Of Your Office Move – Use Our Free Checklist
We’ve helped many businesses move offices so we know all the steps you have to take. To help you avoid forgetting anything important and keep your office move on track, we’ve created the ultimate checklist. Use it to manage and monitor your move. It’s free and printer-friendly.
At Elm Workspace we specialise in designing and fitting new office spaces. We can also offer new furniture and delivery services so you can get all your moving services from one trusted company instead of having to rely on several others. If you want a more accurate idea of how long it will take to move your office contact us and we can give you an in-depth analysis.
Do you have any personal advice for someone looking to move offices? Post your comments below.