How Much Does It Cost to Move an Office in UK

In the world of business, office relocation is more than just changing addresses. Companies like yours may move for various reasons like expanding their reach, downsizing or finding better opportunities elsewhere, but one thing you should always remember is that office relocation costs must always be calculated before planning to move.

House relocation is costly, but you can cut corners here and there with some DIY methods. Office moving, on the other hand, requires strict budgeting and planning for both the obvious and unexpected relocation costs.

Planning the office move costs

Embarking on an office relocation is no small feat even for a small company. It’s a venture best navigated with the support of seasoned relocation specialists and movers. Their guidance isn’t a giveaway either – anticipate to spend anywhere from £3,000 to £10,000.

Yet, the expenditure transcends mere financial outlays. The dedication and labour your crew invests into orchestrating and strategising the move are pivotal, albeit challenging to quantify in monetary terms. This effort constitutes a crucial slice of the overall cost associated with transitioning your office to its new locale.

The financial checklist extends further, though. Prepare for charges related to rectifying any existing damages (dilapidation costs), which can fluctuate between £7 and £30 per square foot. Equipping your new premises (fit-out costs) demands a budget set around £20 to £90 per square foot. The outright expense of acquiring the property is a potential expense that should also be considered.

Moreover, incidental expenses warrant attention. These encompass property evaluations (possibly £800 to £5,000), legal advisories (around £2,300 to £8,000), and assessments for the schedule of condition (likely £2,000 to £5,000). Collectively, these elements significantly impact your comprehensive relocation budget.

Anticipate a surge in service charges post-move, a common occurrence, which could escalate your expenses by an additional 5% to 10%. Altogether, orchestrating an office move requires a thorough financial strategy, highlighting the multitude of aspects that come into play.

So to sum it all up, here are your main office moving costs in a brief:

These are, of course, average prices and various factors could alter them, from location to office size and more. Still, these numbers could help you get a basic idea of how much each step of the move will cost for your company. Now, let’s look at things in detail.

Lease termination and new lease expenses

If, for whatever reason, your company is considering an early termination of your lease, then you need to be ready to pay accordingly. In every lease contract, you will find a set of penalties for early termination and most of the time you either need to pay a portion of the remaining lease or forfeit your security deposit. Some landlords might be open to negotiation especially if you have compelling reasons for leaving.

And after you finish one lease, you’d immediately have to start work on securing a new one. Once you do, you’d have to cover a set of fees before you have the right to move into the new premises.

Dilapidations costs

As you and your company prepare to sail away, metaphorically and sometimes literally, you first need to take care of the so-called dilapidations costs. In short, that’s the money needed to return the property to how it looked when you first occupied it.

Dilapidation costs include fixing up, cleaning and restoring the place to its original glory, so to speak. Your lease contract has a clause about that, so regardless of how you feel on the matter, you need to keep your end of the deal.

That means that any extra walls or dividers that you might have put up need to come down. If you’ve repainted the walls with your brand colour, then you will have to repaint them back to the colour they were before you moved in. Oh and let’s not forget repairing and damages here and there which the property has likely sustained.

Utilities also need to be set back to how they originally were, whether that’s with the electrical, plumbing, or HVAC systems. And let’s not forget the cleaning! The office property needs to look spotless all around and that means deep cleaning the carpets, cleaning the floors, windows and so on.

Moving company charges and logistics

Moving an entire office on your own is ridiculous, that much is known, but what are the things you need to know before you hire a professional office moving company?

Technology transfer and setup

When it comes to transporting your IT infrastructure, you always need to consider various factors which will also add up to the final price.

For starters the dismantling, reinstallation and reconnecting of all your computers, servers, and networking equipment. You can’t just hire any regular moving company for this task, you need one that specialises in IT relocation services. These companies use server racks, padded crates, and climate-controlled vehicles to ensure no damage will come to your fragile equipment.

While your hardware is being transported, you will inevitably have downtime. When planned correctly, it shouldn’t lead to any losses. However, if it takes longer than anticipated, you will have productivity losses and disruptions to your business operations, so you need to calculate all that into your budget too.

New office furniture and decoration

Each new location will likely demand modifications to align with your company’s unique requirements. Whether it’s adding partitions, installing new lighting fixtures here and there, or configuring workspaces, these build-outs are needed to optimise your workflow and aesthetics.

Besides these modifications, you should also put some thought and resources into furniture. Should you move and reuse the old one or invest in something is quite the dilemma. Honestly, it comes down to the condition of the current furniture and whether it’s compatible with your new office and budget constraints.

Reusing your old furniture sure seems cost-effective, but investing in new, ergonomic chairs and desks can actually enhance the comfort and productivity of the employees, and ultimately benefit the overall efficiency.

Storage costs

You should definitely set money aside for storage. It’s almost inevitable that some items will end up unnecessary at least for immediate use. Or they might end up in the storage space for the long term because they don’t fit into your new office aesthetic. Frankly, you can never know what you will need.

On the other hand, storage facilities are equipped with surveillance cameras and gated access, so you don’t have to lose sleep over your items.

Plus, the storage units are climate-controlled, so even if you store delicate machinery, they will remain in working order when you need them. And lastly, you can retrieve your equipment any time you want, convenient right?

What are the main challenges of moving office?

You might think everything revolves around office removal costs, but there are other aspects which are not directly tied to money. These things you can do well in advance to hopefully make your office relocation a tad bit stress-free.

1. Develop a detailed plan of responsibilities, timelines and deadlines for each part of the office move;
2. Determine your budget and include all mentioned so far in the article. Remember to set aside money for unseen expenses;
3. Keep the employees well informed and address any concerns or questions that may arise;
4. Notify all your vendors, suppliers, clients, and service providers about the upcoming change of address;

Moving an office doesn’t have to be a pain! A team of professional movers can help…

As you see, relocating an office is anything but simple or stress-free. In fact, it’s so overwhelming that the common practice for business owners is to hire professional moving companies. And how about you, have you thought about it? There are plenty of benefits when you book office relocation with Fantastic Services: