The average office relocation is an expensive, time-consuming effort – with costs going well beyond just the bills for moving files, furniture, and equipment. The expenses start long before moving day and may continue for some time after you’ve settled in, so creating a budget that includes all of your expenses (from the labor itself to announcing the change) can help put you on the path to success.

Planning

• Set a budget and stick to it. However, don’t create an arbitrary one—chances are you’ll end up spending far more than you hoped. Work with a tenant representative to create a solid, practical budget that takes all of your moving expenses into account. TIP: Consider negotiating a move in allowance from your new landlord to offset cost! 
• Take inventory of your current assets. Many of these tools and equipment can probably be used at your new location—but you should make a list of what you’ll additionally need to buy. Plan for the future, not just the moment, and make sure you have the necessary resources when your business grows in the near future. 
• Contact your service providers and let them know when you’ll no longer need their services. You can also invite them to give you a bid for services at your new office – and reminding them that you’re also talking with their competitors can help you land a better deal on services moving forward.

Office Closing

• Make sure you know what you’re responsible for as you leave your old office. You may need to do some repair work once you move out. All of this should be detailed within your current lease. 
• Make arrangements with your current landlord. In particular, you should provide them written notice of your intent to move/not renew your lease as early as possible and within the terms of your lease. Be sure to let them know about any special requirements you’ll have on moving day. If you’ll be disrupting activities in the building, they’ll need to help you plan around that. 
• Coordinate the move of all of the technology assets you may not look at every day, including your phone lines, internet connections, and so forth. You may need to have an alternate way of staying in touch with people while the office lines are down. If employees, customers, or movers can’t contact you to report an issue, then a small problem could easily balloon into a big one. Keeping everyone fully informed while you’re closing the office is a critical step for a stress-free move.

Moving

• Keep track of all expenses for your move and regularly compare them to the budget you created; they should match fairly closely. But, if there are differences, hopefully they were because you budgeted too much instead of too little. You may be eligible for reimbursement for at least some of these expenses—especially if another company is supporting your move—so documentation is vital. 
• Coordinate the hiring of movers who will actually transport your goods. This is often required within the Chicago Loop, so you can’t do everything yourself unless your new landlord says that’s acceptable. Remember that movers won’t always know exactly what you want or precisely where new furniture should be placed—your plan should be written and you’ll need to be available to give them instructions as needed. 
• If your move is an emergency as a result of a disaster, keep track of the estimates for loss of business while you move. Your insurance may actually cover this.

Finally, here are a few more ideas to keep in mind while you’re moving. Most importantly: Keep things fun. Have an open house, get staff involved, and even arrange contests for things like selecting local artwork for your new location. An office move is an exciting opportunity for every employee you have, so you might as well make the most of it.

You should also consider hosting a grand opening of the new location once everything is in place and the systems are running. Give everyone a day or so to get used to the new building and locate any problems that might affect your operations, and try to iron them out as soon as possible. Problems will occur no matter what, but hopefully you’ll be ready to handle them.