Moving your business to a new location can seem like a daunting task. With so many vendors, services, and people to manage during the transition, even the savviest companies can have trouble staying on top of things. But the challenge doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Every day we work with clients who are preparing to move into new spaces, and time after time, the companies who have the best experiences are those who manage to stay organized through every phase of the process. With that in mind, we have prepared a business move checklist with all the tasks that need to be managed during this exciting and challenging time.

Whether you enlist the help of a construction management team or handle your business move in-house, keep this list in your back pocket to make sure you never miss a beat.

Business Move Checklist

• Select a move committee. This is typically made of representatives from IT, HR, Operations and other interested and qualified people.
• Establish a preliminary relocation budget.
• Determine whether the move warrants hiring a third-party move management consultant. If so, interview and hire third-party partner.
• Coordinate moving of servers with IT provider/support.
• Contact telephone provider to get new numbers or move existing. Confirm your long distance carrier or consider other options.
• Determine if any equipment requires specialized or approved vendors to move it. This could include copiers, lab equipment, certain electronics or manufacturing equipment.
• Check existing lease for restoration requirements/conditions for returning current space to landlord. Schedule a meeting with existing landlord to review these requirements.
• Contact telecommunications/data provider to schedule a cut-over date.
• Reserve the building elevator (existing for move out, new for move in).
• Order keys from the building.
• Contact the building to confirm locations of signage. Hire signage vendor to plan, get approval for, and install new signage.
• Obtain a qualified mover by interviewing 2-4 companies, depending on the size of job.
• Order new stationery, business cards and forms.
• Notify your clients of change of address.
• Contact the post office, bank and vendors (coffee service, vending machines, etc.) for change of address.
• Contact the IRS, Franchise Tax Board, Secretary of State and Employment Development Department for change of address.
• Notify insurance carrier of change of address and new office’s requirements. Obtain certificates of insurance for the landlord, and any entities required by the lease.

Business Move Coordination Tasks

2 Months Prior to Move:

• Coordinate with IT on server move, desktop, and PBX timelines.
• Assemble ‘Move Team’ with each department having a ‘Move Liaison’ and schedule weekly coordination meetings.
• Collect all furniture layout plans from employees for their new spaces.
• Prepare a lab equipment ID matrix for all equipment being moved (if applicable). Coordinate with users to review special equipment installation/compatibility requirements.
• Develop preliminary move schedule.
• Review & define areas of responsibility.

1 Month Prior to Move:

• Develop a labeling/tagging scheme and assign move numbers. Prepare floor plans/layouts.
• Discuss and agree on move insurance needs with company.
• Create public relations campaign with press releases to highlight new location and/or office warming party.
• Coordinate with new site to add your listing to lobby directory.
• Determine security procedures for the move.
• Secure off-site storage location for old files.
• Fine tune move schedule.

2 Weeks Prior to Move:

• Finalize move schedule.
• Host employee move orientation meeting.
• Schedule packing material and label delivery.
• Prepare employee welcome packet to the new space (restrooms, gyms, break rooms, copy rooms, etc.).
• Establish channels for move team communication and protocol for change requests.
• Create list of emergency contacts, cell phone numbers, and vendors that includes moving company, building management, utilities, telecommunications, etc.
• Schedule on-site help for move day.
• Identify “Move Command Central” for mover and employee inquiries.
• Select cleaning vendor for post-move.

Move Week:

• Schedule additional packing material and label delivery.
• Tag and label destination site using room numbering and equipment IDs.
• Distribute contact lists for emergency/on site/on call lists.
• Review and finalize all move sequences/schedules and distribute to move team.
• Prep building for move – surface protection, corner guards, etc.
• Distribute new security ID cardkey entry badges.
• Schedule training for all emergency procedures at new location.
• As close as possible to moving day – change locks and access codes at new location.

Move Day(s):

• Assign origin and destination move liaisons.
• Coordinate On-site help to coordinate move related questions, etc.
• Complete job walk each day of move to track progress, confirm the move is on schedule, and identify any goods or walls that might have been damaged during the move.
• Allocate keys and/or access cards for new location.
• Distribute employee welcome packets at their new destinations.

Post Move Support:

• Maintain “Move Command Central” post to support employee inquiries, lost & found, honey-do lists, etc.
• Dispatch appropriate team(s) for post move set-up – hanging white boards, equipment fit up, etc.
• Distribute new contact list and layout of department locations.
• Collect all access items including security cards, keys and parking passes for old location and confirm return of deposits held by landlord for items.
• Survey for damage. Prepare and submit reports.
• Prepare move punch list and action items. Coordinate with appropriate contractors to address all issues, and to track completion.
• Review final invoices against contracts.

Helpful Links for Moving

• Contact the Franchise Tax Board for change of address. Use form 3533.
• Contact the IRS for change of address.
• Contact the Employment Development Department for change of address.
• Contact the Secretary of State for change of address.
• Contact the United States Postal Service.
• Contact the Local Tax Collector for a change of address.

Business Move Checklist