An important step in relocating your office is setting up a timeline for moving. The timeline will give you a rough idea of how long each stage in the office relocation process will take, and will allow you to schedule sufficient time for both the move and your normal business operations. Without a timeline, your company may not have sufficient time to plan for the office relocation process, causing you to make rushed or uninformed decisions.
Below are the main steps of office relocation and the approximate timeframes of how long they should take you:
Finding the new office space: This stage of office relocation involves figuring out your office space requirements, finding your tenant rep broker, and viewing potential office spaces. According to the commercial real estate firm Austin Tenant Advisors, this process should take you about 2-6 weeks but can last longer depending on your market. After those steps are finished, negotiating the terms of your lease with your landlord, and finalizing office lease terms should take about 8 weeks.
The legal process: The legal process includes clarifying office lease terms with your real estate lawyer, ensuring you understand tenant obligations, liabilities, and that your interests are protected. This step should take about 4-8 weeks.
Space planning, office design, and build-out: Furnishing your new office to meet all of your requirements, takes a lot of planning. The actual build-out also takes a while. Allow about 4-8 weeks for this step in the process, and adjust for even more time in the case of larger offices.
Office moving stage: This phase is physically moving your office, and it is estimated that this will take 2-12 weeks, depending on everything you have to move, and if any improvements need to be made.
How long your office relocation actually takes depends on your resources, requirements, and individual circumstances. Having an established timeline beforehand helps ensure that the relocation stays on track, and that the process is easier for you.