Things to remember when relocating your business
There is nothing fun about moving, especially when you’re relocating a business. The advance preparation from finding the new site, space planning and procuring furniture, can feel endless. And when it’s time to finally think about the moving day itself, it’s easy to let important things fall through the cracks.
We are here to prevent that from happening.
To make sure that you have a successful relocation, promote a member of your management team to serve as the single point of contact to coordinate all aspects of the move. They will work with a team of professionals to manage the details and keep the project on track.
After that, give your current landlord notice that you will be vacating the premises. Take some time to review the provisions of your lease so that you know in advance if you have to restore the space to it’s original condition. This could mean doing just a basic clean up, or removing walls and electrical that have been added throughout the lease term. Knowing this information up front will help you more adequately prepare.
After speaking with the landlord, make a checklist of furniture and office equipment that is coming with you. This is to make sure that you account for all items during your move, and it also will help you figure out what items aren’t going to make the cut. This information will be useful in obtaining quotes from potential moving companies.
The next step is to reserve movers. Enlisting the assistance of licensed and insured movers who have experience with decommissioning and reconstructing your office furniture will make all of the difference. And if either your new or old office is located in a union building, the movers you hire must be union as well. Plus, most reputable office moving companies will assign you a project manager to assist you with the process from beginning to end.
Licensed and insured movers will efficiently break down all of your existing workstations and put them back together in the new location. But it’s also important to account for the furniture, fixture and equipment that is not coming with. Asset disposition is the removal of all non-affixed trade assets, including office furniture, technology equipment, machinery and industrial racking. Any equipment that isn’t being moved to the next location will be reused or recycled.
Many landlords require that tenants restore the space to its original or broom-swept condition. Working with a company that provides space restoration services can make the process even more seamless. Make sure to follow the lease and remove all items from your space. This means making time for decommissioning unused items, cleaning the space and even breaking down any walls or tenant improvements. This could include patching walls, repainting, replacing any damaged materials, and removing carpeting and IT cabling.
Make arrangements to donate leftover furniture, fixtures or equipment that isn’t going to be relocated to the new space. There are non-profit organizations who will gladly take your old desks, chairs and office equipment. Rightsize can help you find the right organization for the cause.
About Rightsize:
Rightsize Facility Performance, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a nationwide office interiors and facilities services firm serving corporate clients in transition. Founded in 2004, Rightsize employs an industry leading “Design/Furnish” approach to ensure seamless workplace transitions and is a single source for interior design, furniture procurement, delivery and installation, asset disposition, facility decommissioning and ancillary project services. Through its Office Furniture Center brand, which includes OfficeFurnitureCenter.com and a 200,000-square-foot showroom, Rightsize also provides a single source for quality workstations, desks, seating, filing, conference and reception furniture.
