Who to hire for an office to relocate

Short answer

A commercial removalist who does office relocations, and separately an IT provider for the technology — the two halves are almost always different businesses and the handover between them is where office moves go wrong. Book the after-hours window early; most buildings restrict when a move can happen.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Removalist.

  • your IT provider

    always. Servers, network gear and phones need to be decommissioned and recommissioned, not carried.

  • both building managers

    before booking. Lift bookings, dock access, insurance certificates and induction requirements are standard and take time.

  • an electrician

    the new space needs power or data outlets where there are none.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Get a floor plan of the new space with every desk, cupboard and piece of equipment placed on it, and label everything to match. Labelled to a plan is the difference between a move and a warehouse.
  2. Confirm what the landlord requires at both ends: insurance certificates, induction, protection of lifts and floors, permitted hours.
  3. Sort out the technology sequence: what goes last from the old site and first into the new one.
  4. Agree what happens to what you are not taking. Disposal of old furniture and e-waste is a real cost and has rules.
  5. Notify everyone with your address on file, and redirect the mail.

What to ask when you book

  • Have you done moves in this building, and do you have the landlord's requirements?
  • What is your insurance, and can you provide a certificate of currency for the building manager?
  • Who is responsible for disconnecting and reconnecting equipment?
  • What is the plan if we run past the access window?
  • Is disposal of unwanted furniture and e-waste included?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Volume and the number of workstations.
  • After-hours or weekend work.
  • Access at both buildings, including lifts and docks.
  • Dismantling and reassembly of workstations.
  • Disposal and storage.

Is this licensed work?

Not licensed. Building access, insurance requirements and inductions are usually imposed by the landlord rather than by regulation.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for an office to relocate
A commercial removalist who does office relocations, and separately an IT provider for the technology — the two halves are almost always different businesses and the handover between them is where office moves go wrong. Book the after-hours window early; most buildings restrict when a move can happen.
How far ahead should an office move be booked?
Further than a house move, because the constraint is rarely the removalist — it is the building. Lift bookings, dock access and after-hours approvals at both ends are the long lead items, and in a busy building the available weekends fill well in advance.

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.