Office Move Checklist for Exeter Businesses: 12 Weeks to Move Day
/An office move is a project with a fixed deadline, usually set by a lease. Most of the work happens in the weeks before the van arrives, and the move itself is often one evening or one weekend. This office move checklist for Exeter businesses sets out what to do at 12 weeks, 8 weeks, 4 weeks and in move week, with notes on access at Marsh Barton, Sowton and Exeter Business Park.
Your office move timeline at a glance
| When | What to do | Who leads |
|---|---|---|
| 12 weeks out | Confirm lease dates and notice periods. Book a site survey and get a fixed quote. Set the move date. | You and the mover |
| 8 weeks out | Order broadband and phone lines. Audit furniture. Book crate hire. Agree the IT disconnect and reconnect plan. | You and your IT provider |
| 4 weeks out | Draw the new floor plan. Set the labelling system. Brief staff. Confirm parking, lifts and loading with both buildings. | You and the mover |
| 1 week out | Crates delivered. Staff pack desks. Back up data. Clear what is not moving. | Your team |
| Move week | Out-of-hours or weekend move. Furniture rebuilt and placed to plan. IT reconnected. Snagging walk-round. | Mover and IT provider |
12 weeks out: survey, quote and lease dates
Confirm your lease dates. Check the end date on the old lease, the start date on the new one and any notice periods. The overlap, if you have one, decides your move window.
Book a site survey. A commercial mover should visit both premises to check loading bays, lifts, stairs, parking and any building rules. Surveys can be done out of hours.
Get a fixed quote in writing. It should list what is included, from crates and labelling to dismantling and set-up.
Set the move date. Pick a Friday evening or a weekend if you need to keep trading through the week.
Name one person to run the move. One point of contact for the mover, the landlord and the IT provider avoids crossed wires.
8 weeks out: IT, telecoms, furniture and crates
Order broadband and phone lines for the new premises. Lead times can be several weeks, so this is the job most likely to delay a move if it is left late.
Agree the IT plan. Decide who disconnects and reconnects computers, servers and phones, and when. Your IT provider usually does this, and the mover plans the move around them.
Audit your furniture. List what is moving, what is being replaced and what is going. Check that desks and storage will fit the new layout.
Book crate hire. Plastic crates are stronger than cardboard boxes and stack safely in the van. We deliver them about a week before the move and collect them afterwards.
Plan for anything that is not moving. Old furniture, broken chairs and archive paperwork are easier to deal with now than in move week.
4 weeks out: floor plan, labels and staff
Draw the new floor plan. Number every desk and room. This plan is what the crew follows on the day.
Set the labelling system. Every crate, monitor and piece of furniture gets a label that matches a desk or room number on the plan.
Brief your staff. Tell them the move date, what they need to pack, how to label it and where they will sit on the first morning.
Confirm access with both buildings. Book the service lift, loading bay and parking for the move, and check any building rules on working hours or floor protection.
Update your address with clients, suppliers, your bank and your website, ready to switch over on the move date.
Move week: out-of-hours move, set-up and snagging
Back up your data before anything is unplugged.
Staff pack their desks into the labelled crates by the last working afternoon.
The move runs out of hours. The crew load in priority order, so the items your team needs first come off the van first.
Set-up follows the floor plan. Desks and storage are rebuilt and placed, and crates go to the labelled positions. Your IT provider reconnects the network.
Walk the new office before the crew leave. Check that every item has arrived and note anything that needs adjusting. This snagging walk-round is the time to fix it, not Monday morning.
Why weekend office moves cut downtime
A weekday move can cost a business two working days, one to pack down and one to set up. Running the move on a Friday evening or over a weekend means your team logs off at the old address and logs back on at the new one with little or no lost time. It also helps with access, because loading bays, lifts and car parks are quieter outside office hours. Most of the office removals we carry out in Exeter run this way.
Access and loading at Exeter business locations
Access decides how long a move takes, so it is the first thing we check at a survey. These are the points we look at in the main business areas around the city.
Marsh Barton. The trading estate south of the city centre is busy with trade and delivery traffic on weekdays. Many units have yards or roller doors at the rear, which makes loading straightforward once the van can get in. An early start or a weekend move avoids the worst of the traffic.
Sowton. The industrial estate on the eastern edge of the city sits close to the M5 at junctions 29 and 30, so the drive in is quick. Units range from warehouses with loading doors to first-floor offices, so we check stairs and lifts as well as the yard.
Exeter Business Park. The park is very close to junction 29. Most buildings are offices with shared car parks and building management, so the loading area, lift and parking spaces usually need booking with management in advance.
City-centre offices. Restricted loading times, permit-only parking and shared service lifts are common, so we confirm loading slots and parking before the day.
Exeter is about twenty minutes from our Newton Abbot depot, and our crews also handle home moves across the city. See our removals Exeter page for more.
What a commercial mover does and does not handle
Knowing where the mover’s job ends saves confusion in move week. The table shows the usual split.
| Task | Mover handles it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Site survey and fixed quote | Yes | |
| Crate delivery and collection | Yes | Delivered about a week before, collected after |
| Packing and moving IT equipment | Yes | Labelled to its new desk |
| Disconnecting and reconnecting networks and servers | No | Your IT provider |
| Dismantling and rebuilding desks and storage | Yes | |
| Clearing unwanted office furniture | Yes | Under our Upper Tier Waste Carrier licence |
| Broadband, phone lines and data cabling | No | Your telecoms provider or electrician |
| Lease, dilapidations and building alterations | No | Your landlord, agent or solicitor |
| Telling clients and suppliers your new address | No | Your team |
If your dates do not line up, we can also hold furniture or archive boxes in our Newton Abbot storage until the new office is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should we start planning an office move in Exeter?
Start as soon as your lease dates are known, and ideally around 12 weeks before the move. That leaves time for the site survey, a fixed quote, IT and telecoms orders, and a labelling plan. Shorter timescales can work, so call us on 01626 211469 and we will tell you what is possible.
Can you move our office at the weekend?
Yes. Most office moves run in the evening or over a weekend, so your team finishes on Friday at the old premises and starts on Monday at the new ones. Site surveys can also be done out of hours.
Who disconnects and reconnects our computers and servers?
Usually your own IT provider. We pack, label and move the equipment, and at the survey we agree who disconnects and reconnects the network, servers and phones so the move is planned around them.
Do you supply crates for an office move?
Yes. We deliver plastic crates or boxes about a week before the move for staff to pack their desk contents and label with their name, and we collect them after the move.
What should staff pack themselves?
Staff normally pack their own desk drawers, personal items and paperwork into the crates provided, then label each crate with their name and the new desk or room number. Our crew handles furniture, IT equipment and anything heavy or fragile.
Planning an office move in Exeter
Empire Removals is a family run, fully insured removal company with a Google rating of 4.9 from over 75 reviews. We survey both premises, give you a fixed quote in writing and run the move around your working hours, with our own crew from survey to set-up. Read more about our office removals service, or book a survey for your move.
Or call us on 01626 211469
