Office Move Checklist for London: Timeline, Notifications and Building Rules

What is a realistic office move timeline?

Twelve weeks is a workable lead time for a small or mid-sized office, provided the internet connection is ordered first. BT Business says a new BTnet leased line can take up to 70 working days, depending on the survey, which is about 14 weeks.

Give one person the job of move lead. The table shows what happens when, and who owns it.

What do you need to sort out with the lease on the old office?

Three things: how the lease ends, the condition you must leave the space in, and what the landlord can claim afterwards. A break notice has to be served exactly as the lease says, with any conditions met, so have your solicitor check and serve it.

The RICS consumer guide defines dilapidations as breaches of lease covenants that relate to the condition of a property, and says a landlord may serve notice requiring you to reinstate alterations you have made. In an office that usually means partitions, extra cabling and signage.

The Ministry of Justice’s Dilapidations Protocol, which covers commercial property in England and Wales, says the landlord’s schedule should generally be sent within 56 days of the tenancy ending, and the tenant will usually respond within 56 days of the Quantified Demand. RICS recommends using a chartered surveyor. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who do you need to notify when a business changes address?

Companies House, HMRC, both councils, the Valuation Office, the ICO, Royal Mail, your insurer and your bank are the core list. The table gives the deadline and method for each, as stated by GOV.UK, the ICO, the councils and Royal Mail (checked October 2026).

Royal Mail (checked October 2026) prices Business Redirection to a UK address at £299.00 for up to 3 months, £439.50 for up to 6 months and £707.50 for up to a year, per trading name. It is for a whole business that is not in a multi-occupancy building. If you share a delivery point with other firms, Royal Mail points you to Business Diversion: the same prices for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, and from £1,474 for 3 months for larger ones.

What are the Companies House rules on a registered office address?

The new registered office must be an “appropriate address”, and the change only counts once Companies House has registered it. Form AD01 (version dated August 2026) defines that as an address where a document delivered by hand or post would be expected to reach someone acting for the company, and where delivery can be acknowledged. Companies House says a PO Box cannot be used.

The form also says documents can still be validly served at the old registered office for 14 days after the change is registered, so keep someone checking the post there. If Companies House decides an address is not appropriate, it can move the company to a default address; the company then has 28 days to supply an appropriate one with evidence, or risk strike-off action.

What happens to business rates when you move office?

You deal with two councils and the Valuation Office. Tell the old council when you vacate and the new one when you take occupation. GOV.UK also asks you to report a move to the Valuation Office through your business rates valuation account, to avoid a backdated increase.

If the old lease runs on after you leave, GOV.UK’s empty property relief means no business rates on the empty office for 3 months. After that most businesses must pay full rates again, so a long overlap between leases has a real cost.

What will the building manager ask for before an office move?

Expect to book the goods lift and loading bay, move outside office hours and send paperwork in advance. Managed buildings in the City, West End, Midtown and Canary Wharf set their own rules, so ask both building managers for their move procedure in writing. The usual requests are:

• a goods lift booking for a fixed slot, often evenings or weekends only;
• a loading bay booking, with the vehicle registration and any height limit confirmed;
• floor, wall and lift protection fitted before anything is moved;
• a risk assessment and method statement (RAMS) from the mover;
• names of the crew for security passes or contractor sign-in;
• insurance documents from the mover: ask your mover what it can supply and send it on early.

RAMS is two documents. HSE describes risk assessment as identifying hazards, deciding how likely and how serious harm could be, then controlling the risk; employers with 5 or more staff must record the significant findings. HSE’s construction guidance describes a method statement as setting out, in a logical sequence, exactly how a job is to be carried out.

Where can the van load, and when does the Congestion Charge apply?

Kerbside loading is time-limited in both the City and Westminster, and the Congestion Charge runs shorter hours at weekends, which is why many office moves happen on a Friday evening or over the weekend.

• City of London: the Corporation (page updated June 2026) allows a maximum of 40 minutes of continuous loading on yellow lines with no kerb markings. Kerb markings mean a loading ban.
• Westminster: the council (page updated September 2026) allows commercial vehicles as long as necessary on yellow lines from 8.30am to 11am, then 20 minutes until 6.30pm, or 20 to 40 minutes for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Single yellow lines are unlimited from 6.30pm to 8.30am.
• Congestion Charge: £18 a day if paid in advance or on the day, £21 if paid by midnight on the third day after travel. It applies 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 12 noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, under the Mayor of London’s decision in force since 2 January 2026 (checked October 2026).

A weekday move pays the charge for any driving in the zone between 7am and 6pm; a van in the zone only before noon or after 6pm at the weekend does not. Forty minutes will not empty an office, so a longer job needs a building loading bay or a council bay suspension. See our guides to parking suspensions for removal vans and ULEZ and Congestion Charge costs.

How many crates per person do you need for an office move?

Plan on 1 to 5 standard crates per person, depending on how much paper each desk holds. Crate Hire UK recommends 1 to 2 per person, plus extra for archiving and IT equipment. Another London crate supplier recommends 5 per employee for desk and locker contents, plus 1 IT crate per workstation.

The standard lidded crate is the LC3. phs Teacrate’s specification gives it as 710 x 460 x 375 mm externally, 80 litres with the lid closed and 4.3 kg empty. Its metre crate (LC6) holds 130 litres for books and lateral filing.

Crates usually arrive about a week before the move. The London School of Economics’ move guidelines have crates distributed 7 days ahead, filled only until the lid closes, stacked no more than three high and labelled on the side. Crate Hire UK delivers next day on weekdays but not at weekends. See crate hire in London and our moving crates guide.

How long does it take to get internet into a new office?

Anywhere from a few days to more than three months, depending on the line. BT Business says a new BTnet leased line can take up to 70 working days, depending on the survey. For business full fibre, BT quotes 1 to 3 working days where the fibre equipment is already in place and 9 to 18 working days where an engineer has to fit it; external work takes longer.

On the desks, the routine is simple:

• label every screen, base unit, dock and phone with its new desk number;
• photograph the back of each setup before unplugging it;
• bag each desk’s cables together and keep the bag with its equipment;
• run a full backup before shutdown and test that it restores;
• shut down in the order your IT provider sets, normally applications, then servers, then storage, then network, and power up in reverse.

Servers and comms cabinets need their own plan: see our IT and server relocation service and IT relocation guide.

What health and safety duties apply during an office move?

Three duties matter: manual handling, workstation assessments and fire safety. HSE says employers must avoid hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable, assess any that cannot be avoided and reduce the risk of injury. In practice staff pack crates and the removal crew does the lifting.

HSE also says employers must do a display screen equipment (DSE) workstation assessment when a new workstation is set up, which covers every desk after a move. The rules apply to staff who use screens daily for an hour or more at a time.

GOV.UK says the responsible person, which includes an employer or occupier, must carry out a fire risk assessment under the Fire Safety Order and keep a written record. In shared buildings the landlord or managing agent is responsible for common areas, so ask for the building’s evacuation plan and brief staff on day one.

How do you dispose of old paperwork and IT equipment securely?

Shred or securely wipe anything holding personal data before it leaves the building, and use a registered waste carrier for the rest. The ICO’s small business guidance calls shredding quick, easy and cost-effective, and says to be satisfied that any collection service is reputable and destroys documents securely.

For computers and phones, the ICO warns that deleted data can linger in recycle bins and backups, and suggests secure deletion software or a third party whose credentials you have checked. Old electricals count as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). GOV.UK says a business must check its waste carrier is registered and complete a waste transfer note for each load, keeping a copy for 2 years. Our office clearance service covers furniture and equipment you are not taking.

Do you have to consult staff about an office move?

Start with the employment contracts. GOV.UK says that where a contract has a mobility clause, an employer can normally require staff to move to a place the clause allows, unless that is completely unreasonable. Without one, employees can choose whether to move. If an employee decides not to, the employer can make them redundant, and redundancy pay may be due.

A move of a mile or two inside Central London rarely reaches that point, but a longer commute still affects people. Tell staff the address and date early and take advice before relying on a clause. GOV.UK points employers and employees to Acas for relocation questions.

What is the running order for move weekend?

From Friday close-down to Monday start, work through it in this order:

• Friday, midday: final backup tested. Staff seal and label crates and take laptops and valuables home.
• Friday, close of business: IT shuts down and disconnects. Every item carries a desk number.
• Friday evening: protection goes down in both buildings and the crew loads through the booked lift and bay.
• Saturday: furniture and crates are placed to the floor plan, network equipment first, then desks.
• Sunday: IT powers up in reverse order and tests internet, phones, printers and door access.
• Monday: a floor walker helps staff find desks and unpack. Empty crates are stacked for collection.
• Within the week: old office cleared and cleaned, meters read, keys and passes returned, address changes filed.

Office moves with Alpha Movers in London

Alpha Movers carries out office removals across London seven days a week, with no weekend premium and no extra charge for evening slots. A Medium or Luton van with two helpers and a tail lift is £150 for the first 2 hours, then £75 an hour, billed in 30-minute steps. £10,000 goods in transit insurance is included. There is no deposit: payment is by bank transfer after the job is finished, and changing or cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the start time. For a quote, send us:

• both postcodes and floor levels;
• headcount and number of desks;
• goods lift and loading bay details, with permitted hours;
• any paperwork the building manager has asked for;
• photos of the IT room and any heavy items.

Call 07448 849354 or email info@alphamovers.co.uk, 8am to 10pm, seven days a week.

Frequently asked questions