Making Moves London
The Black and White Building
74 Rivington Street
London
EC2A 3AY
Well practiced at helping our clients make their own office moves, for the first time ever, we were also the ones moving. A suitable milestone to mark our second year in business, we moved 150 metres around the corner and into our very own MM office.
As the team’s Operations Assistant, the majority of the logistics of the move were my responsibility. This included everything from fit out to I.T., to phone installation, to updating addresses, to the physical carrying of boxes. Needless to say, even for a small team the move was a fairly time consuming manoeuvre.
So, my first office move… What was involved?
1. The Current Lease
Before even thinking about moving somewhere new, we had to work out the details of leaving our current office. Based in a serviced, co-working space, all we had to do was give notice of one month, so that was all fairly straightforward. However, this is not always the case, and we would definitely recommend checking your current lease expiry and any obligations you have there as the first thing you do.
2. Picking the move team
Next on the list was organising who was going to do what in the process: a specialist tenant’s agent (Making Moves, obviously), in-house move team (IT, finance, HR), a decision maker who holds the purse strings, a fit out and design company and a specialist property lawyer.
3. Developing the brief
Within this there are a number of things to consider. Firstly, size, now a team of 6, we needed to find a space big enough for us all, as well as factoring in the space we would need for expansion within our new 12-month lease. Secondly, location, based in Shoreditch already, we were all very keen to stay. We then had to consider our budget, we had to review company expenditure and work out a suitable budget for the new office, taking into account all building occupancy costs (rent, service charge and business rates), revenue costs (such as utilities, IT etc.) and capital costs (fit out, legal fees and so on). Finally we needed to outline the major requirements of the business, in our case desk space, breakout space and meeting rooms, as well as considering the look and feel of the new office.
4. Finding a new office
Once we had agreed on a brief, we then began the search for the new office. We went to see a number of different options and narrowed the list down from this when we realised what would/ wouldn’t work for us.
5. Space planning and designing the new office
This step is where attention to detail is key. We didn’t have a lot to organise in regards to fit out, but it was still a challenge to co-ordinate different contractors, account for delays and unavailability of items, and make sure everything was done in a certain order of completion, within strict timeframes. Other things to think about are confirming costings for the fit out, checking I.T and phone installation times and availability, as well as confirming furniture requirements for the new premises.
6. Securing the new office
Without a doubt, the most important part of the process. No matter how efficient you are in finding a property and organising the move, securing your new office at the right price is not an easy feat. There are many different areas within the heads of terms to negotiate, and you can be sure the landlord will have an experienced agent helping them get the better deal.
Enter, Making Moves.
7. Cancelling and moving communications/ services
This was something I was not looking forward to. It included changing addresses, updating our online presence, re-directing mail as well as organising the transfer of all phone and IT services. I started by making a checklist with everything that needed updating and worked through these in order of priority. Although a laborious task, if executed quickly and efficiently, it can be fairly pain free.
8. Preparing for the physical move
Each Move Maker was informed of moving date, packing/ clearing desk duties, and plan of action to relocate ourselves. No furniture needed to be moved, so it was a simple task of transporting computers, screens, stationary and paperwork. I would advise buying some stickers to colour code items such as wireless mice etc., as we realised a little too late that this would have been useful. If organising a larger-scale move, you will need to consider providing the removal company with a floorplan of the new offices, arranging access as well as taking final meter readings for the utility companies.
9. Post move
We did it! After ensuring that all IT and communications equipment were working as planned, we celebrated with a large G&T (or two!)
So that’s it…No major dramas to report (except a small incident with a banana and a shredder).
If you are planning an office move, download our “Making Moves Checklist” to make sure you haven’t missed anything!
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