This office move checklist is the one we’d hand a Wollongong business owner before they move a single desk, because after years on the trucks doing commercial jobs around the Illawarra, the honest truth is that an office move lives or dies on the planning, not the muscle. A house move is stressful; an office move that goes wrong costs you trading days. Here’s how we’d run it, step by step.
Start early: the 6–8 week plan
The biggest mistake with an office move is leaving it too late. For anything bigger than a small studio, start six to eight weeks out. Appoint one person to own the move, a single point of contact who talks to the removalist, the landlord and the team, so decisions don’t get lost. Confirm why you’re moving (more room, lower rent, a better fit-out) because that shapes your timeline and budget.
Set a realistic budget and add a contingency of 10 to 20 percent. Office moves have a way of finding extra costs, from cabling to a skip bin for the gear you finally admit you don’t need.
Build an asset register and floor plan
Walk the office and list everything: desks, chairs, screens, servers, the fridge in the kitchen, the filing you’ve been ignoring. Mark what moves, what gets sold or dumped, and what needs specialist handling. This asset register is the backbone of the whole move.
Then draw a colour-coded floor plan of the new office. Give every room a colour, label each box and item of furniture with the matching colour, and your removalists can place things exactly where they go instead of stacking everything in one room. It’s the single trick that saves the most time on unload day.
Sort IT and phones first
IT is where offices lose the most time, so plan it early. Back everything up before anything is unplugged. Book your internet and phone connection at the new address weeks ahead, because a delayed connection is the one thing that can stop you trading on day one. Photograph the back of each machine before you unplug cables so setup is quick, and have your IT person or provider on hand at the new site. Label servers and comms gear for careful, priority handling.
Tell everyone who needs to know
Give your team plenty of notice and a clear plan for their own desks. Then update the world: your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles, invoices, letterhead, insurers, licences and suppliers all need the new address. Redirect your mail through Australia Post so nothing important goes missing in the change-over. Don’t forget to notify clients who visit in person.
Check access, parking and lifts at both ends
This is where Wollongong commercial moves get expensive if you skip it. Confirm loading dock access and any timed loading zones, and if you’re in a multi-storey building on Crown Street or in the CBD, book the service lift and any bond well ahead. Sort parking for the truck at both the old and new sites, and check whether the council needs a permit. Measure the tight spots, doorways, lifts and stairwells, so the big desks and photocopier actually fit.
Pack smart and label everything
The number one thing that slows an office move is loose, unboxed gear. Box the lot, keep each person’s desk contents together, and label every carton with its colour-coded destination. Keep an “open first” crate per department with the essentials so people can work the moment they arrive. If you’d rather your team kept trading instead of wrapping monitors, our Wollongong packing services crew can pack and protect the fragile and valuable gear properly.
If your new fit-out runs late, we can hold everything in secure furniture storage until the site is ready.
Moving day and the first week
On the day, have your move coordinator on site with the floor plan, keep exits clear, and get IT and phones up first so you can trade. Over the first week, check everything arrived undamaged, unpack the essentials, and confirm every address update actually went through. For the general tasks that apply to any move, our list of things to do before you move is a handy backstop, and our removals team can scale a crew to the size of your office.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I plan an office move?
Work through this office move checklist six to eight weeks out for a typical Wollongong office, and longer for a large site with a complex IT or fit-out. Booking your internet connection and removalist early are the two things worth doing first.
How much does an office move cost?
It varies widely with size, IT complexity and distance, from a few thousand dollars for a small office to much more for a large fit-out. Always add a 10 to 20 percent contingency and get an on-site quote rather than a guess over the phone.
Can we move outside business hours?
Yes. Many Wollongong businesses move over a weekend or after hours to avoid losing trading days. Tell us your window and we’ll build the crew and truck around it.
What should I check before hiring an office removalist?
Confirm they carry insurance and can provide a Certificate of Currency, that they’ve handled offices your size, and that they’ll do an on-site assessment before quoting. Cheapest on paper is rarely cheapest once downtime is counted.
Planning an office move in Wollongong?
If you’re relocating your business anywhere around the Illawarra and want it done without losing trading days, call us on 1300 015 050 or leave your details in the form below. Tell us your office size and both addresses and we’ll put together an honest plan, the kind we’d give our own family.
