When you want to move your business to a new location it’s easy to keep putting it off. The stress of an office relocation and the potential disruption it can cause are plenty of reasons to make do with a location that’s less than ideal.
That said, when you know what to do and who to ask for help for your office relocation, you can take virtually all of the stress and uncertainty out of even the most challenging move. Not convinced? Take a look at a few of our hints and tips…
How to tell your landlord you’re moving
Handing in an Office Relocation Notice to your landlord can feel stressful or like you’re doing something wrong by leaving, but it doesn’t have to. Honesty is always the best policy, which means letting your landlord know early in line with the terms of your existing contract is always the best way to approach things.
The vast majority of the time you’ll find they have had dozens of tenants come and go over the years and will mainly be concerned that the office is left in good condition.
By making your Office Relocation Announcement public to the rest of the team nice and early, you can give everyone the chance to flag up any potential issues.
By knowing about little bits of cosmetic damage that may need a quick touchup to get your deposit back, you can make the final stages of the relocation nice and straightforward for everyone involved.
How to start planning your office relocation
Having a well thought out Office Relocation Project Plan is the key to making sure things run smoothly and to budget. You don’t want to be left with a large period of time where you are renting two offices because you didn’t check the terms of your first contract, and you don’t want the changeover period to be so rushed that the basics get missed.
All this will do is save you money on overlapping rent while virtually guaranteeing that your new office won’t have you up and running on the day you’re supposed to reopen for business.
By taking the time to develop an Office Relocation Strategy you give yourself the chance to take care of the basics in an orderly fashion without feeling rushed. Here’s the key things you’ll need to find and consider:
- A skilled team of professionals who are experienced in moving businesses like yours and helping conduct office relocations to the area you’re moving to
- Signing over any utilities and amenities if they’re included as extras, and making sure everything is returned as it was provided if you have fully managed office space
- Checking the layout of your new office to make sure everything fits and that your new space will be suitably furnished. This is particularly important if you’re customer facing or you’re hiring new staff as part of the office relocation
Now that we’ve highlighted the absolute basics and why they matter, we need to start getting more specific so you can see if your bright idea will work in the real world.
How to figure out how much work is involved
Understanding Office Relocation Feasibility is key to making sure everything goes as planned. If you’re trying to cram 5 room’s worth of furniture into just 2 rooms, it’s not going to result in the look and feel you want for your new base.
Likewise, if you’re planning on carrying out all of the moving logistics yourself, how many van loads and repeat trips will it actually take to move everything in?
This will become even more important to consider if you’re doing anything other than moving between two ground floor offices on quiet streets with ample parking. If in doubt, get in touch with our professional removals London team who will be able to help you understand the scope of the work and take care of a lot of the hard work for you.
The time and effort it will save you, not to mention the money lost due to time away from work, really is something you can’t put too high a price on. But how do you find the right people?
Hire an Office Relocation Company
You’re looking for a reliable and trusted team who specialise in Office Relocation Solutions. A standard moving company will often do this type of work, but there’s nothing better than finding a specialist in your local area.
They will have the experience needed to gauge how much work is involved, and they’ll be used to the sometimes sensitive nature of the job. Computer equipment, accounts and paper copies of key documents like procurement contracts all need to be transported and handled with care if the office relocation is going to be carried out successfully.
If in doubt, ask the prospective company these 3 questions:
- Do you specialise in office relocations in my local area?
- How many years of experience do you have in office relocation jobs?
- Is there a reference or testimonial you can refer me to?
No professional will be offended or in the least bit put out by these questions, so ask them upfront and don’t be shy.
The key things you need to know for your Office Relocation
Creating a simple Office Relocation Template is a great way to start thinking about the task at hand in a way that allows you to see the big picture. This will give you that little bit of space and distance that makes sure you’re getting obsessed with a couple of small details at the exclusion of everything else.
Here’s the basic things your template needs to cover:
- When do I need to be at the new office, how far away is it, and how much overlap is there?
- How much packing materials will I need, and how long will it take to pack everything up for my relocation?
- Should the whole staff work on the office relocation, or do we need to stay open for business?
- How will I let my customers know about the new address, and when should I do it?
- When does all the post need to be redirected to make sure nothing is missed during the relocation?
And for those looking to turn this into something a little more prescriptive and detailed, you’ll find our Office Relocation Checklist here.
Common office relocation mistakes you need to avoid
Make sure you steer well clear of these 3 common mistakes:
- Doing all the moving yourself in an attempt to save a little bit of money, only to end up wasting a whole lot more time that you could have spent doing what you do best
- Hiring an inexperienced team because their prices were so much lower than everyone else, only to find that they’re slow and unreliable
- Not leaving enough time for the two offices to overlap so you end up rushing, leaving things behind and not getting your full deposit back
Final thoughts
Find the right team and they really will be worth their weight in gold. They’ll be able to simplify the process, take the weight off your shoulders and give you an accurate picture of what’s actually realistic. Just what you need to hear when you want to make sure your office relocation goes off without a hitch.
