Office Relocation Guide
The complete office
relocation checklist
Everything you need to plan, manage and deliver your office move — from initial brief to first day in the new space. Step-by-step, with timelines and the suppliers you need at each stage.
1
Define your brief
Typically 12–18 months before move
▼
- Establish target headcount at move date + 2-year growth scenario
- Define hybrid work policy and target desk-to-person ratio
- Survey employees on location preferences, commute patterns and must-haves
- Agree space requirement (sq ft) — use the Space Calculator
- Set budget: rent, fit-out, professional fees and move costs
- Benchmark total occupancy cost for target locations — use Occupancy Cost Pro
- Identify preferred office locations based on commute data — use Commute Analyser
- Note current lease expiry, break clause and dilapidations liability
- Agree project governance: sponsor, project lead, steering group
2
Appoint your advisors
10–16 months before move
▼
- Appoint commercial property agent on agreed fee basis
- Appoint project manager (PM) to lead delivery
- Appoint workplace consultant / interior designer for brief development
- Agree roles, responsibilities and reporting structure
- Set up project management tool and reporting cadence
- Brief legal team on lease strategy and negotiating parameters
- Agree programme with key milestones and decision points
3
Search the market
8–14 months before move
▼
- Define search criteria: location, size, grade, lease length, break options
- Receive longlist of properties from agent (target 8–12 options)
- Undertake initial tours and score against brief requirements
- Shortlist to 3–4 preferred properties
- Commission measured surveys on shortlisted properties
- Model total occupancy cost for each option (rent + rates + SC + fit-out + FM + utilities)
- Consider serviced vs leased vs managed office options
- Present shortlist to board / decision-makers with recommendation
4
Negotiate and exchange
6–10 months before move
▼
- Negotiate rent, lease length, break clause and rent-free period
- Agree service charge cap and exclusions
- Negotiate dilapidations cap and schedule of condition
- Agree landlord's fit-out contribution (if any)
- Instruct solicitors to review and negotiate lease documentation
- Undertake legal searches and due diligence on the building
- Exchange contracts and pay deposit
- Agree access-for-fit-out licence and start-on-site date
5
Design and procurement
4–9 months before move
▼
- Develop concept design with workplace designer — vision, palette, zones
- Agree detailed space plan and department adjacency layout
- Develop fit-out specification to Cat B level
- Issue tender to fit-out contractors (target 3–4 tenderers)
- Evaluate tenders on quality, programme and cost
- Appoint preferred fit-out contractor
- Agree FF&E specification and issue to furniture suppliers
- Appoint AV / IT / access control specialists
- Submit planning application if change of use or listed building
- Agree sign-off process and on-site presence during delivery
Suppliers needed at this stage
Interior designer Fit-out contractor Furniture supplier AV / IT specialist6
Fit-out and delivery
6–12 weeks on site
▼
- Agree access for fit-out licence with landlord
- Attend weekly site meetings — chair and minute actions
- Monitor programme against agreed milestones
- Manage change control process rigorously — sign off all variations
- Coordinate delivery of furniture, AV, IT and signage programmes
- Undertake snagging inspection prior to practical completion
- Agree defects liability period with contractor
- Obtain building control sign-off and landlord approval
- Test all systems: fire, security, AV, building management
- Train facilities team on new systems and service contracts
Suppliers needed at this stage
Fit-out contractor Health & safety advisor FM provider IT infrastructure7
Move and settle in
Move weekend + 4–6 weeks post-move
▼
- Appoint move management company — plan phased or weekend move
- Communicate move details to all staff — dates, logistics, new address
- Update registered office, correspondence address and all stakeholders
- Coordinate IT cutover — network, telephony, cloud services
- Manage physical move: pack-down, transport, unpack
- Complete change management programme — welcome events, neighbourhood guide
- Decommission old space — remove assets, restore to landlord's standard
- Submit dilapidations schedule to outgoing landlord
- Gather employee feedback in week 1 and week 4 — address issues promptly
- Finalise FM contracts: cleaning, security, catering, plant maintenance
Office relocation by the numbers
18mo
Typical lead time for a 50–200 person office relocation from brief to move-in
£60–120
Per sq ft — typical Cat B fit-out cost in London (2025)
15–20%
Of project budget typically spent on professional fees (PM, design, legal, agent)
3×
More likely to deliver on programme and budget with a dedicated project manager
Total cost of an office relocation
Indicative costs for a 50-person London office (10,000 sq ft)
| Cost item | Low | Mid | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit-out (Cat B) | £500k | £750k | £1.2m |
| Furniture & FF&E | £80k | £140k | £250k |
| AV & technology | £50k | £100k | £200k |
| Professional fees | £60k | £120k | £200k |
| Move costs | £15k | £30k | £60k |
| Dilapidations (old space) | £20k | £60k | £150k |
| Total project cost | £725k | £1.2m | £2.1m |
Use Occupancy Cost Pro to model your specific market and lease parameters.
Build your relocation programme on tendre
The full tendre New Office Planner generates a personalised Gantt chart and milestone programme based on your move date, team size and brief. Manage your suppliers and track progress in one place.
Start planning your move →