Office Move Checklist Nottingham

A good office move in Nottingham comes down to one thing: preparation. The more you plan in advance, the less downtime your business takes on the day. This checklist covers everything — from the planning timeline and staff communications through to furniture, IT handover, access, packing and move-day checks.

Planning Timeline — Start Here

Most office moves benefit from a minimum of four to six weeks of lead time. Smaller offices with less furniture and fewer staff can work to a tighter window, but anything involving a full floor, multiple workstations or a staggered move will need more time.

Six or more weeks before:

• Confirm your new premises, access dates and any lease conditions
• Appoint one person internally as the move coordinator — one point of contact makes everything easier
• Get quotes from office removal companies in Nottingham (Tee's Removals offers a free fixed-price quote based on your specific setup)
• Book your removal date once you've confirmed the company — good slots go quickly, especially for end-of-month moves
• Check your current lease for any dilapidations or reinstatement obligations before you start moving furniture

Three to four weeks before:

• Notify staff formally and share the move plan (see staff communications below)
• Begin an audit of furniture, equipment and filing — decide what moves, what gets disposed of and what goes into storage
• Arrange parking and access at both premises (see access section below)
• Order packing materials if staff are packing their own desk areas
• Confirm broadband and phone line installation at the new office — lead times can be two weeks or more

One to two weeks before:

• Confirm move-day schedule with your removal company
• Notify clients, suppliers and any key contacts of your new address and any anticipated downtime
• Update your address on Google Business Profile, your website, Companies House and any directory listings
• Arrange disposal or recycling for any unwanted furniture or equipment
• Confirm IT arrangements — who is responsible for disconnecting and reconnecting workstations, servers and network equipment

Move week:

• Confirm removal team arrival time and who will meet them at both premises
• Brief staff on what they need to do before leaving the old office on the final day
• Do a walkthrough of the old premises to check nothing is left behind
• Take photos of both offices — meter readings, condition of walls and floors, any pre-existing damage

Staff Communications

Keep staff informed and involved — an office move that catches people off guard creates unnecessary friction.

• Send a formal notice as soon as the move date is confirmed, even if some details are still being finalised
• Share a clear timeline so staff know when to pack their own belongings, when to expect disruption and when normal working resumes
• Assign clear responsibilities — who packs the kitchen, who labels the filing, who checks meeting rooms
• If there's a period of reduced capacity or remote working around the move, communicate that to clients and internal teams well in advance
• Brief anyone with key-holding responsibilities at the old or new premises separately

Furniture Audit and Labelling

Before anything goes on the van, know what you've got and where it's going.

• Walk every room and create a basic inventory: desks, chairs, cabinets, storage units, breakout furniture, kitchen equipment
• Decide what moves to the new office, what goes into storage and what gets disposed of or donated
• Label every item and every box with the destination room at the new premises — not just "Office 1" but something specific enough that the removal crew can place items correctly without guidance
• Use colour-coded labels by room if you have a larger office — it speeds up unloading significantly
• Note which items need dismantling before the move (large desks, shelving units, boardroom tables) and confirm whether your removal company is handling that

Tee's Removals can dismantle and reassemble office furniture as part of the move — worth confirming at the quote stage so it's built into the plan.

IT — What to Plan For

This section covers the practical logistics of moving IT equipment. Tee's Removals handles careful transport of desktops, monitors and peripherals with proper packing materials and protection, but the setup, configuration and network work at the other end is a separate matter for your IT contact or provider.

• Book your IT person or provider well in advance — they're often busier than you expect around a move
• Back up everything before the move, not the night before
• Label all cables before disconnection — photograph the back of each workstation so reconnection is straightforward
• Pack monitors and screens in their original boxes where possible, or with adequate padding — these are among the most commonly damaged items in an office move
• Keep server equipment and network hardware separate from general packing, clearly labelled and handled with care
• Confirm who is responsible for setting up broadband, the router and any phone system at the new premises and when they'll be available
• Build IT setup time into your timeline before expecting staff to be fully operational — the new broadband may not be live on day one

Access — Both Premises

Access is one of the most overlooked parts of an office move. Sort this early and confirm it in writing.

At the old premises:

• Check whether you need permission from the building management for a removal vehicle to access loading bays or car parks
• Confirm the last date you have access to the building and whether that includes evenings or weekends
• Check for any lift bookings required — many managed buildings require advance notice for freight lift use
• Confirm parking for the removal vehicle and whether a parking dispensation is needed

At the new premises:

• Confirm the earliest access date and time — and whether that's a full handover or a limited access arrangement
• Check lift and loading bay access, as above
• Note any restrictions on working hours in the building (some managed offices restrict noisy work to certain times)
• Share a floor plan with Tee's Removals before the move if possible — it helps the crew plan loading order and unloading placement

If either address has restricted parking or controlled zones, you may need to apply for a parking dispensation from Nottingham City Council. Allow time for this — it's not always instant.

Packing

Decide early how much of the packing your business will handle internally and how much you want the removal company to take on.

• Staff packing their own desk areas is common for smaller offices — give them clear instructions, labelled boxes and a deadline
• Filing cabinets, storage rooms and communal areas often get left until last — assign specific responsibility for these
• Pack room by room and label every box with contents and destination room
• Use proper packing materials for fragile equipment — bubble wrap, foam and double-walled boxes where needed
• Prepare a separate essentials box for each department: things you'll need on day one (stationery, chargers, keys, any access codes or credentials you'll need on day one)
• Don't over-fill boxes — heavy boxes get damaged and cause injuries

Tee's Removals offers full and partial packing services for offices, including supplying materials and packing equipment, files and fragile items. If you'd rather not rely on staff to do it, it's worth including this in your quote request.

Move-Day Checks

Have a named person on site at both premises on move day — someone with the authority to make decisions and direct the crew.

At the old office:

• Do a room-by-room walkthrough before the removal team arrives — make sure everything is packed and ready
• Confirm who has keys and access codes for the removal crew
• Check storage cupboards, server rooms and kitchen areas — these get missed
• Take photos of the space before the team starts loading
• Keep a copy of the inventory with you, not packed in a box

During the move:

• Stay available — the removal team will have questions, especially at the new premises
• Do not let the crew leave the old premises until you've done a final walkthrough
• Check that nothing has been left in car parks, loading bays or any shared areas

At the new office:

• Direct the crew to the right rooms using your floor plan and labels
• Check furniture placement as items come in — it's much easier to move a desk before the room fills up
• Test broadband and phone lines as soon as the IT equipment is set up
• Take meter readings at the new premises on the day

After the Move

The job isn't done when the last box comes off the van.

• Update your address with HMRC, Companies House, your bank, insurers and any business directories
• Update your Google Business Profile, website contact page and any social media profiles
• Notify regular clients and suppliers formally — don't rely on them noticing a footer change
• Return keys to the old premises and confirm any dilapidations process with the landlord or building manager
• Chase any mail that may still be going to the old address — a Royal Mail redirect for business mail is worth setting up

Planning an Office Move in Nottingham?

If you're at the planning stage and want a clear, fixed-price quote based on your specific office and move date, Tee's Removals handles office relocations across Nottingham for small and growing businesses. We work around your schedule, take care of furniture dismantling and reassembly, and can include packing and storage if needed.