Moving office can be a serious financial undertaking that's often underestimated. Our guide explains how to budget accordingly.
By Making Moves London
October 12, 2026
Office relocation is a complex undertaking that involves multiple cost categories beyond the obvious moving expenses. The total cost typically ranges from £15,000 to £500,000+, depending on the size, complexity, and specific business requirements. This guide offers a comprehensive breakdown to help facilities managers and cost controllers budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses.
If you need help to figure out the cost of relocating your office, we have a selection of useful calculators to simplify the process and provide rough estimates based on your current workspace.
Office relocation costs can vary widely depending on the space, location, and specific requirements of a business. However, most businesses can expect to spend between £20 and £50 per square foot, with total costs ranging from £15,000 for small moves to £500,000 or more for larger spaces.
The tables below provide a quick overview of average costs by office size, along with a breakdown of where the budget is likely to go. These estimates can help to set realistic expectations before diving into detailed planning.
| Office Size | Sq Ft Range | Estimated Total Cost | Average Cost per Sq Ft | Key Cost Areas |
| Small | 1,000–3,000 sq ft | £20,000–£60,000 | £20–£30 | Fit-out, removals, IT setup, furniture |
| Medium | 3,000–10,000 sq ft | £60,000–£200,000 | £20–£25 | Legal fees, AV/IT, change management |
| Large | 10,000+ sq ft | £200,000–£500,000+ | £20–£50+ | Full fit-out, infrastructure, downtime, consultants |
| Cost Category | Approx. % of Budget |
| Office Fit-Out | 30–40% |
| IT & Infrastructure | 15–25% |
| Furniture | 10–20% |
| Legal & Property Fees | 10–15% |
| Dilapidations | 5–10% |
| Removals & Logistics | 5–10% |
| Contingency | 10–15% |
The physical move itself is one of the most visible costs in an office relocation, covering professional removal services, packing, transport, and insurance. These services ensure your equipment, furniture, and documents are safely transferred.
Costs are likely to vary depending on the distance between sites, the volume of assets being moved and the ease of access to both locations. Another factor is the logistical complexity of working in a city, such as London, where narrow streets, parking restrictions, and building access rules can all increase time and labour requirements.
Typical costs range from £110-£160 per employee or as wide as £3,000-£40,000+ overall. The table below offers a general guide based on office size:
Office Size Typical Cost Range
Small (< 3,000 ft²) £3,000 – £7,000
Medium (3,000-10,000 ft²) £6,100 – £23,000
Large (10,000+ ft²) £15,000 – £40,000+
Relocating offices comes with a range of legal and administrative obligations that can quickly add up. These include lease reviews, solicitor fees, property surveys, and dilapidations. All of which can influence your timeline and budget.
A lease review ensures you’re not committing to unfavourable terms, while solicitor fees cover contract negotiation, compliance, and due diligence, especially when purchasing. You may also need property surveys to assess structural or environmental risks, and dilapidations at your current site if you’re exiting a leased space.
These costs can vary based on the building’s condition, lease structure, and legal complexity. Here’s what you might expect to pay:
Cost Type Typical Range
Lease Review £2,000 – £8,000
Solicitor Fees £2,000 – £10,000
Property Purchase (Legal/Admin) £5,000 – £25,000
Dilapidations £5 – £50 per sq/ft
Surveys £750 – £8,000
Beyond moving and legal fees, some of the largest expenses come from securing and fitting out your new space. If leasing, landlords typically request a rent deposit equivalent to 6 – 12 months’ rent upfront, especially for Grade A space or longer leases. Estate agent fees usually range from 3 – 5% of the first year’s rent.
Fit-out costs vary widely depending on the condition and location of the space, as well as the quality of finishes. Based on Q1 2025 data from the Making Moves Market Rent Guide, London office fit-outs generally fall between £40-£100+ per ft², with Grade A spaces in prime areas like the West End or City Fringe often commanding higher rates.
Cost Type Typical Range
Lease Deposit 6-12 months’ rent
Estate Agent Fees 3-5% of first year’s rent
Fit-Out (Guide Range) £40 – £100+ per sq/ft
Relocating your IT systems involves far more than simply moving equipment. Structured data cabling, server transport, network setup, testing, all these tasks are crucial to minimising downtime and ensuring continuity.
Costs typically start at £5,000 but can rise sharply depending on the scale and complexity of your systems.
Server relocations often require specialist handling, configuration, and insurance, while data cabling is usually billed per outlet. If you’re upgrading infrastructure at the same time, costs will increase accordingly.
IT Task Typical Cost Range
Network Setup & Testing £2,000 – £8,000
Server Moves £3,000 – £10,000+
Data Cabling Installation £1,000 – £5,000+
Total IT Relocation £5,000 – £25,000+
Add a quote from someone in the Making Moves team about how they can help you determine the true cost of moving office based on your individual circumstances.
Relocating employees involves travel reimbursements, temporary accommodation, onboarding support, and training in the new environment. According to UK relocation benchmarks, domestic moves typically cost anywhere from £8,000 – £24,000 per employee, covering transport, lodging, and incidentals.
A worthwhile consideration is also the price of downtime while staff familiarise themselves with the new site and systems, as well as any formal training (e.g., health & safety, new facilities use).
Cost Category Estimated Range
Relocation Package (UK) £8,000 – £24,000 per person
Training & Onboarding £500 – £2,000 per employee
Lost Productivity/PT Downtime £1,000+ per employee in short term
Certain assets such as heavy machinery, safes, or bespoke equipment can require specialist movers. Heavy equipment moves are usually quoted per project; for instance, excavators cost around £3 – £5 per mile for transport, while full machinery relocations may run into tens of thousands, depending on dismantling and installation complexity. Safes typically cost up to £1,000, but customised or high-security items may exceed that. It’s essential to evaluate these case by case and budget accordingly.
Item Type Estimated Cost
Heavy Machinery £3,000 – £20,000+ (project-based)
Safe Relocation Up to £1,000
Custom Equipment Quoted case by case
Temporary or long-term storage may be necessary if the move takes time or if you downsize. Removal company storage averages £48/week for a mid‑sized household, with commercial rates in London around £100/month. Self-storage units typically run at £90 – £160/month for adequately sized lockers. Given varied timelines, plan for £400 – £1,000 per month, depending on space and duration.
Storage Type Typical Cost
Short-Term (Commercial) £100 – £200/month
Self-Storage Units £90 – £160/month
Removal Co. Storage £48/week (£190–£250/month)
One of the most overlooked relocation expenses is lost productivity. Studies highlight the staggering cost for IT outages stands at around £4,000 per minute on average.
For small-to-mid businesses, even a few hours offline can equate to £10,000 – £50,000 in lost revenue or output. Wider office disruption could easily add another £1,000 – £5,000 overall while people are setting up office equipment, minor technical glitches occur, or client meetings become delayed as a result.
Disruption Type Estimated Impact
IT Downtime £4,000/min (large firms)
General Office Disruption £1,000 – £5,000+
Missed Output/Revenue £10,000 – £50,000+
All physical and IT moves should be supported by adequate transit insurance. This will typically be 10 – 15% of the total asset value. In addition, it’s wise to reserve 10 – 15% of your total relocation budget as a contingency for unexpected costs, such as equipment becoming damaged, parking fines, last-minute overtime, etc. For example, on a £200,000 move, an additional £20,000 – £30,000 contingency helps avoid budget overrun and means you’re financially prepared to handle surprises.
Category Suggested Budget Allocation
Transit Insurance 10 – 15% of asset value
Contingency Buffer 10 – 15% of total relocation cost
How long it takes to move your office depends on the size of your business, the complexity of your move, and how early you start planning. Most office relocations take between six and twelve months from initial discussions to staff settling in. Factoring in the timeline is critical not just for logistics but also for cost control, as delays can lead to spiralling expenses, from extended leases to staff downtime. Below is a typical office move timeline broken down into key phases.
This is the time to define your relocation objectives, set your budget, and engage key stakeholders. For example, appointing a relocation consultant, workplace strategist or legal advisor could cost anywhere from £5,000 to £15,000, depending on the size and scope of your move. While relatively low, poor planning can result in expensive consequences later. Delays here often cause rushed decisions or missed opportunities to negotiate better terms.
Legal finalisation, space design, and IT planning begin in this window. Errors or delays can lead to overlapping leases, penalty fees, or under-spec’d IT infrastructure. Missed deadlines here often result in short-term fixes that cost more in the long run. IT missteps can also lead to system downtime during the move, which can cost large businesses up to £4,000 per minute.
The practical work begins. Fit-outs, infrastructure installations, and staff readiness are the focus. If power, data, or furniture installations fall behind schedule, the impact on productivity can be significant. Output loss for medium to large businesses can range from £10,000 to £50,000 or more, especially if systems are not fully operational by go-live.
This is often the most sensitive and high-pressure phase of the move. If IT systems, phones, or internet connections are not live on day one, the disruption to operations can be significant. Even one day without access to core systems can cost businesses £10,000+ in lost productivity, missed client deadlines, or unfulfilled orders.
Other common costs include last-minute contractor callouts, staff overtime, and urgent IT fixes. Ensuring systems are tested, teams are informed, and support is available helps avoid costly downtime and protects business continuity.
Making Moves to add a relevant case study where they’ve helped someone through the process.
When relocating an office, it is crucial to decide on a clear, realistic budget, which can only be accurately determined through careful planning. From upfront professional fees to last-minute logistics, costs can escalate quickly if not thoroughly considered. Below, we explore how to build a reliable budget and offer a few practical tips to help you keep spending under control.
Start by assessing your current space and team size to determine your future needs. List all equipment, noting what needs replacing or upgrading. Always request three or more quotes for services such as removals, fit-out, and IT. Finally, include a 10 to 15 percent contingency fund to cover unexpected costs or delays.
Early planning is one of the most effective ways to reduce costs. Starting 6 to 12 months in advance gives you time to compare quotes and avoid premium rates. Decluttering is another simple way to reduce what needs to be moved, and make sure to utilise any internal resources where possible to cut external spend.
Once you’ve narrowed down your search, don’t be afraid to negotiate when discussing the rates of your new workspace. There is no harm in asking and you may be surprised by how much of a saving can be made here.
Making Moves offers relocation consultancy to make sure you’re saving as much as possible during your move. Our office relocation consultants work with you to understand how your staff use your current office space and how they work, to help find you the perfect London office at the best possible price.
While every office move follows similar steps, different industries face their own specific risks, requirements, and priorities. A tech firm may need secure server handling and minimal downtime, while a legal practice must focus on privacy compliance and continuity of access to case files.
Below are some examples of how different industries face different challenges when relocating.
| Industry | Key Considerations |
| Technology | High IT costs, secure data handling, minimal downtime |
| Financial Services | Compliance requirements, data protection, system backup planning |
| Creative Agencies | AV equipment, brand-led fit-outs, collaborative space needs |
| Legal Firms | Confidential documents, business continuity, privacy compliance |
An office relocation is a major undertaking, and the true cost often goes far beyond removals and packing. Typical office moves can cost £20,000+ depending on the size and complexity of the project. In most cases, legal fees, IT infrastructure, and property-related costs outweigh the cost of the physical move itself.
Downtime, staff disruption, and loss of productivity are frequently underestimated too, yet they can be among the most expensive elements if not managed carefully. However, early planning, detailed budgeting, and with a 10 to 15 percent contingency fund in place, you can make sure you have the correct budget in place and a comprehensive plan to stay on track.
Working with experienced vendors can help to reduce risk and prevent last-minute costs. If you want full support at every stage, Making Moves can handle the entire process, from planning to post-move troubleshooting. So, whether you’re looking to relocate 10 people or 10,000, get in touch and we’ll start planning your move today.
