Office Relocation Checklist for Darwin Businesses

An office move touches everything: your team, your customers, your IT, your lease. Done well, staff leave on Friday and sit down at working desks on Monday. Done badly, you lose days of productivity.

This checklist walks you through a Darwin office relocation from three months out to the first week in your new space.

Key to a smooth move: Appoint one move coordinator, get IT involved early, book lifts and loading docks at both buildings, and move after hours.

3 months before

• Appoint a move coordinator and a small move team
• Confirm the lease end date and any make-good obligations at your old office
• Measure the new space and plan the floor layout
• Get removalist quotes — ask about experience with offices, after-hours work and IT equipment
• Engage your IT provider to plan network, phones and internet at the new site
• Order internet connection at the new premises — this can take weeks

2 months before

• Book your removalist for an after-hours or weekend move
• Decide what furniture moves, what's sold or donated, and what's new
• Organise fit-out, electrical and data cabling at the new site
• Plan signage for the new premises
• Start archiving or shredding old files

1 month before

• Tell staff the plan and timeline
• Tell customers and suppliers your new address and move date
• Update your website, Google Business Profile, email signatures and invoices
• Order business cards and stationery
• Book lifts and loading docks at both buildings, and confirm after-hours access
• Ask building managers what they need from your removalist (often a certificate of insurance)
• Arrange phone and mail redirection

2 weeks before

• Give each staff member crates or boxes and labels
• Create a label system — floor, room and desk number
• Back up all data
• Confirm the IT disconnect and reconnect schedule
• Arrange cleaning for the old office (and check make-good requirements)

Move week

• Staff pack personal items and desk contents and label everything
• IT disconnects and labels all equipment
• Confirm timings, access and parking with the removalist
• Put a floor plan at the entrance of the new office for the crew

Moving day (or weekend)

• Move coordinator on site at both locations
• Removalists move furniture, crates and equipment to the right desks
• IT reconnects and tests everything
• Do a final walk-through of the old office — cupboards, storerooms, server room

First week in the new office

• Check every workstation is working
• Fix any issues with IT, phones or furniture
• Return keys and access cards for the old site
• Complete make-good and the final inspection
• Ask staff for feedback and sort out loose ends

Darwin-specific tips

• Wet season: book morning or evening slots and ask about rain protection for electronics. See Moving House in the Wet Season.
• CBD buildings: lift bookings and loading docks are usually essential. See Moving into a Darwin High-Rise.
• Cyclone season: have a backup date in case a watch or warning is issued. See our Cyclone Season Moving Checklist.

Need the end-of-lease clean as well?

Our sister business, Spark Clean Darwin, handles commercial cleaning — so your old office can be cleaned straight after the move. ✎ Edit: Confirm commercial end-of-lease cleaning offer.

Get an office relocation quote · or see our office relocations service.

Frequently asked questions