Office Moving Checklist for Small Businesses

A home move disrupts a weekend. An office move, done badly, disrupts a week of work — and everyone on the team feels it. Most of that downtime comes from decisions made too late, not from the move itself.

8–12 weeks out

• Confirm your move-in date with the new building, and ask for their move rules in writing: allowed hours, freight elevator booking, loading dock access, and whether they require a certificate of insurance from your mover.
• Check your current lease for move-out obligations — restoring the space, removing fixtures, returning keys and access cards.
• Get a floor plan of the new space and decide roughly where each team, desk, and shared area goes.
• Get a quote from your mover and tell them the building details at both ends: floor, elevator, dock, parking.

6 weeks out

• Book your moving date and time. If the business can’t pause during the week, ask about an evening or weekend move.
• Take inventory of furniture and equipment, and decide what’s moving, what’s being sold or donated, and what’s going to junk removal.
• Schedule internet and phone service at the new address — business connections often take longer to install than people expect.
• Have your IT person or provider plan the disconnect and reconnect for servers, network gear, and printers.

4 weeks out

• Tell employees the moving date and what’s expected of each person (packing their own desk, clearing personal items).
• Order packing supplies, or book a packing crew for shared areas like the kitchen, supply closets, and file rooms.
• Start archiving or shredding old files — paper records are among the heaviest things in any office.
• Order new keys, access cards, and building signage.

2 weeks out

• Update your address with the post office, bank, payroll provider, and vendors.
• Update your address on your website, Google Business Profile, invoices, and email signatures.
• Label every desk, box, and piece of furniture with its destination — room name or number from the new floor plan, not just a department.
• Put a copy of the labeled floor plan in each room of the new space.

Moving week

• Have each employee pack and label their desk and personal items.
• Back up computers and servers before anything is disconnected.
• Confirm the elevator reservation, dock window, and parking at both buildings.
• Assign one person as the point of contact for the moving crew on the day.

Moving day

• Walk the crew through the new floor plan before unloading starts.
• Keep sensitive documents, laptops, and keys with you rather than on the truck.
• Check the old space room by room once it’s empty — closets, storage, and the server closet.

First days in the new space

• Test internet, phones, and printers before the team arrives.
• Walk through with employees and note anything missing or damaged while it’s fresh.
• Return keys and access cards for the old space, and schedule the final walkthrough with the old landlord.

We move offices and small businesses across the Seattle area, including after-hours moves and help setting up the new space — see our commercial moving page or get a quote.