A household move that runs late is inconvenient. An office move that runs late costs money every hour. The difference between the two is almost entirely planning — specifically, planning around IT and around people.
8 to 12 weeks before
- Appoint a single move coordinator with authority to make decisions. Committees stall; one accountable person does not.
- Finalise the new lease and confirm the fit-out completion date in writing.
- Audit what you have — workstations, chairs, cabinets, servers, printers, and how much of it is worth moving versus replacing.
- Plan the new floor layout before you move, including power and network points. Retro-fitting cabling after furniture is in place is expensive.
- Give notice on the current premises per the lease terms.
- Get quotes from movers with genuine commercial experience — an office move is not a scaled-up house move.
4 to 6 weeks before
- Book the internet and phone connection at the new site now. This is the single most common cause of an office move going wrong — the furniture arrives on Saturday and the leased line is activated three weeks later. Lead times can be long, so start early and get a written commitment.
- Plan the IT move separately from the furniture move, with its own runbook.
- Asset-tag everything. Number each workstation, monitor, chair and cabinet, and map each tag to a seat number on the new floor plan. This is what makes reassembly fast.
- Inform stakeholders — clients, vendors, banks, couriers, statutory bodies.
- Update the registered address where required for GST and other registrations.
- Brief employees with the date, what they must pack themselves, and what happens to their personal items.
The rule that saves office moves: connectivity first, furniture second. A team can work from folding tables with internet. A team cannot work from beautiful desks without it.
IT and server handling
This is where the real risk sits, and it deserves its own plan:
- Take a full backup and verify it restores before anything is unplugged. An unverified backup is not a backup.
- Photograph the back of every rack and switch before disconnecting.
- Label both ends of every cable.
- Move servers and network equipment separately, ideally in anti-static packing and a padded vehicle, and ideally accompanied by your IT lead.
- Power down in the correct sequence and bring up in the reverse sequence.
- Test connectivity at the new site before the main move, not after.
- Where possible, keep a skeleton setup running at the old site until the new one is verified.
2 weeks before
- Issue labelled crates to each employee for personal desk items, with their seat number on it.
- Confirm building access, service lift booking and permitted working hours at both sites. Many commercial buildings restrict moves to weekends or after hours.
- Confirm the parking and loading bay arrangement.
- Arrange secure disposal of confidential paper and old drives — shredding and certified data destruction, not the raddiwala.
- Circulate the final floor plan with seat numbers.
Moving weekend
Most Lucknow offices move Friday evening to Sunday, so that Monday is a working day. A realistic sequence:
- Friday evening — employees clear desks into their labelled crates and leave. IT shuts down and packs equipment.
- Saturday morning — furniture, cabinets and crates load and move. The coordinator stays at the origin until the last item leaves.
- Saturday afternoon — unload by zone, following the floor plan. Workstations assembled first.
- Saturday evening to Sunday — IT installs and tests; every seat is checked for power, network, phone and login.
- Sunday afternoon — walkthrough against the asset list; snag list raised and cleared.
- Monday morning — IT and the coordinator on the floor early to handle the inevitable small issues.
What separates a good commercial mover
- Experience with asset tagging and seat-mapped reassembly, not just transport
- Ability to dismantle and reassemble modular workstations correctly
- Proper crates rather than loose cartons for files and equipment
- Willingness to work nights and weekends to protect your working days
- GST invoicing so you can claim input credit
- Adequate insurance for equipment value, and a written claims process
- A named single point of contact for the duration
Costs to budget beyond the mover
- New internet and phone installation
- Electrical and network cabling at the new site
- Furniture repair or replacement of items that do not survive dismantling
- Deep cleaning at both ends
- Signage and branding at the new office
- Address updates on stationery, statutory records and listings
- Overtime for the IT and admin team
- A contingency of 10–15% — something always comes up
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an office relocation take to plan?
Allow 8 to 12 weeks for a typical office move. The physical move itself is usually done over a weekend, but lead times for internet connectivity, electrical and network cabling, and fit-out completion at the new site are what determine the overall timeline.
What is the biggest risk in an office move?
Internet and phone connectivity at the new site. Furniture can be moved in a day, but leased line activation can take weeks. Book connectivity as early as possible and get a written commitment, because a team can work with internet and folding tables but not with desks and no connection.
How should servers and IT equipment be moved?
Separately from furniture, with their own plan. Take and verify a full backup before unplugging anything, photograph the back of every rack, label both ends of every cable, use anti-static packing and a padded vehicle, and have your IT lead accompany the equipment.
Should employees pack their own desks?
Yes. Issue each employee a labelled crate marked with their new seat number for personal desk items. This reduces loss, speeds up reassembly, and means people find their own belongings immediately at the new location.
Can a business claim GST input credit on office relocation?
A GST-registered business may be able to claim input tax credit on relocation services, subject to the usual conditions. Ensure your GSTIN appears on the tax invoice and verify the supplier's GSTIN before booking. Confirm specifics with your accountant.
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