How do you plan your office move without losing working time?
Start by protecting working time. We build the plan around what must be working first at the new office: access, IT, records, staff instructions and first day testing. A useful checklist gives each task an owner, a deadline and a handover point.
Most office move problems start before moving day. Vans get booked, crates arrive and then someone realises the lift needs booking, the internet is not tested, or staff have packed equipment with no room labels.
Your checklist needs to join the physical move to the way your business works. A desk is easy to move. A team losing a morning because monitors, passes or files are in the wrong place is the part that costs you.
For a London office move, the details are tighter. Parking, loading bays, managed buildings and central charging zones can decide whether the planned slot actually works.
Downtime sets the office relocation plan
A simple office move can look under control until the access rules and IT order appear. The move works best as an operational project, not as a van booking. We start by asking what has to work first when staff arrive, then build the office relocation checklist around that.
One person needs to own the move inside your business. That person does not need to do every task, but they need the authority to get answers from department leads, building management, IT and the office removals team.
Use this as the master sequence for your London office move plan:
- Confirm the move lead and the decision makers. Someone needs to approve timing, access, costs and changes without sending every small point round the business.
- Build the inventory. Count desks, chairs, storage, IT kit, files, shared equipment and anything going to storage or clearance.
- Check both buildings. Loading space, lift use, reception rules and floor plans affect crew size and timing.
- Agree IT and records ownership. Decide who disconnects, moves, reconnects and tests equipment, and who signs off confidential files.
- Set packing and labelling rules. Staff need clear instructions, and the new office needs a placement plan.
- Plan move day control. Nominate site contacts, check crate counts, record issues and complete a final sweep.
- Test the first working day. Internet, phones, workstations and access need checking before staff rely on them.
A business relocation checklist works when each line has an owner and a dependency, because a missed dependency becomes waiting time on the day.
We move evenings and weekends at no extra charge, so your team does not lose a working day.
Request a QuoteAccess and parking decide the moving slot
A moving slot only works if the van can load legally and the building allows the work to happen. In London, we treat access as one of the first checks because tight streets, managed entrances and lift bookings can change the whole plan.
At GT Removals, we ask about both addresses early: where the van can stop, which entrance the team uses, whether a goods lift is booked and what the building manager needs from us. Central London offices can have service yards, timed loading, reception sign-in rules or lift protection requirements.
A parking suspension for an office move may be needed where there is no legal loading space. Westminster City Council, for example, allows bay suspensions for office moves and asks for 10 working days’ notice. Other boroughs set their own rules, so the relevant council for each address needs checking before the date is fixed.
Transport for London also matters. The Congestion Charge is £18 if paid on the day or in advance, and £21 if paid by midnight on the third day after travel. ULEZ, London’s emission zone, covers all London boroughs and excludes the M25, so vehicle compliance is a Greater London check.
Three access checks do most of the work in deciding whether a slot holds.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Loading space | Confirms whether the van can stop close enough to load safely and efficiently |
| Lift or service access | Prevents delays caused by booked lifts, restricted goods lifts or reception rules |
| Charging zones | Helps the business agree any road charge before the move starts |
Access planning turns the moving slot into something the team can actually work to.
Try not to book the move for the last day of your lease. A working day of overlap gives a delay somewhere to go, and there is nowhere to put one once the keys are back with the landlord.
IT and records need named owners
The hardest part of an office move is the work that has to function first at the other end. Computers, phones, printers and records need named owners because the removals team, your IT support and your staff all touch different parts of the job.
IT ownership
Agree who disconnects, transports, reconnects and tests each part of the setup. That includes computers, monitors, phones, routers, printers, servers and storage media where they are moving with the office.
Cable photos help because they show how equipment was connected before the move. Labels matter more than neatness here: a monitor, dock, power lead and keyboard should all point to the same user or destination desk. For priority teams, we prefer a clear order of work so the people who need to be live first are easy to identify.
At GT Removals, we agree in advance where IT disconnection and reconnection support forms part of the office move. Your own IT decision maker still needs to control backups, access permissions and final testing, because those are business decisions as much as moving tasks.
Records ownership
Confidential files need the same control as IT. HR records, finance files, client papers and storage media should have an owner before they are packed, with sealed crates used where the contents are sensitive.
The Information Commissioner’s Office says organisations should know where physical records are, log and track movement, and secure records moved off site. In practical terms, that means assigning file owners, recording what leaves the old office and signing it off when it reaches the new one.
Nobody should be guessing who last handled a crate of records. Ownership agreed before the move keeps the handover clean.
Packing and address updates catch the hidden work
When packing instructions are vague, crates land in the wrong place and staff lose time finding what they need. A good office packing checklist tells people what to pack, what to take home, what stays for the move team and how each crate should be labelled.
We keep labelling simple: person, department, destination room, priority note and any fragile or IT marker where it applies. Shared storage needs its own owner because filing cabinets, stationery cupboards and kitchen items get missed when everyone assumes they belong to someone else.
Staff communication should be short and specific. Tell people when crates arrive, when desks must be cleared, what happens to laptops, where to report on the first day and who answers move questions. A floor plan at the new office stops the team placing labelled items in a general area and hoping staff sort it later.
Address changes sit outside the van work, but they belong on the same office relocation admin list. Separate the registered office record, trading address, tax contact details, business rates record, bank, insurer, payroll, suppliers, website and Google Business Profile. Three of those need care: for a limited company the registered office is not officially changed until Companies House has registered it, HMRC business contact details may still need updating separately, and the Valuation Office should be told about the premises change so business rates are correct.
Packing and admin both need deadlines before move week, because neither works well as a last-minute sweep.
Photograph every room of the old office once it is empty, with the date showing. It takes ten minutes and it is the only record you will have of the condition you left the place in.
Move day checks turn planning into work
Move day is where the office move day checklist becomes a control tool. The site contact needs the floor plan, access details, lift timing, crate count and issue log close to hand, because those are the things people ask for when the building is busy.
Morning checks start with access. The van needs the agreed loading point, the building needs to be ready for the crew, and the first items loaded should match the order needed at the new office. During delivery, crate counts and room labels matter because they give you a fast way to spot anything out of place.
First day back testing deserves its own time. Internet, phones, workstations, shared printers, meeting rooms and security access should be checked before staff depend on them. If key teams return first, their desks and equipment need priority placement. At GT Removals, we plan London office removals around downtime, access and agreed IT move support where it forms part of the job.
A complete checklist proves the office is ready to work, not only ready to move. Once you can see an owner, a place and a test for each important item, the move changes from a loose list into a controlled handover.
We handle the full office move in house, from desks to IT setup, with public liability cover on every job.
Speak to Our TeamQuestions we get asked about London office relocations
Can an office relocation happen in phases rather than one day?
Yes, a phased move can work well when some teams need to stay live during the changeover. We plan the order around who needs to work first and what equipment they need at the new office.
Should we use storage if the new office is smaller or still being set up?
Storage can help when furniture, files or spare equipment cannot go straight into the new space. The important point is to label stored items clearly so they do not get mixed with items needed on the first working day.
Who should hold keys, passes and lift access on move day?
A named site contact should hold or control access at each building. If keys and passes are spread across several people, the crew can lose time waiting at doors, lifts or reception.
What should happen to old furniture we are not taking?
Unwanted furniture should be identified before packing starts, so it does not get loaded by mistake. Mark it clearly on the inventory and keep it away from items going to the new office.
Can staff keep working right up to their own move slot?
Yes, as long as everyone knows when that slot is. Give each person a cut-off time for their desk and a time it should be usable again at the other end. Vague timings are what turn a well planned phased move into a room full of people waiting.
