Office Move Checklist: 90 Days From Lease Signing to Day One

By Alex Will, Founder of Beckon

This office move checklist takes you from a signed lease to your first morning in the new space in 90 days. Many checklists tell you to start three to six months out. If you have signed and the clock is already running, the order of the work matters more than the length of the list.

Every task below sits where it does because something else depends on it. Furniture needs a plan. The plan needs a floor plan. The floor plan needs a decision about how your team will use the space. Work in this order and you protect the date.

Here is the plan in five stages, with the tasks that belong in each.

How to use this checklist

• Name one owner. One person holds the plan and has the authority to make calls.
• Count backward from move-in day. Day 1 is the first morning your team works in the new space.
• Keep one shared tracker. Facilities, IT, HR, finance, and leadership should all see the same list.
• Ask for lead times in week one. Furniture, AV, and signage often set the schedule.
• Keep the order if your timeline is shorter. Compress the gaps between stages, not the sequence.

Days 90 to 61: lock the plan

Set the owner, the team, and the budget

• Name a move owner and a small team from facilities, IT, HR, finance, and leadership
• Set one budget that covers design, furniture, AV, signage, IT, the move itself, and closing out the old space
• Agree on the move-in date and the date you must be out of the old space

Read both leases

• Note the restoration and move-out requirements in your current lease
• Note the move-in rules in the new one: hours, elevator reservations, loading dock access, insurance certificates, and contractor requirements
• Confirm who approves work in the new building and how long approval takes

Decide how the space will work

• Count heads, then count how many people are in on your busiest day
• List the rooms you need: meeting rooms, focus rooms, reception, break area, and storage
• Decide what moves with you, what gets replaced, and what leaves

Bring in one team for design and the move

Share the lease, the floor plan, and your headcount with a team that can coordinate space planning, furniture, installation, and the move. Fewer handoffs mean fewer places for the schedule to slip.

Days 60 to 31: design, order, and wire

Approve the plan

• Review the space plan and the furniture selections together
• Sign off on budget, specifications, and schedule in one step
• Submit the plan to the building for any required approvals

Order the long-lead items

• Furniture, with delivery windows confirmed in writing
• AV and meeting room technology
• Signage and wayfinding

Line up IT and telecom

• Book internet and phone service for the new space and get install dates in writing
• Decide with your IT provider where network, power, and data will sit before furniture is placed
• Plan how servers and equipment will move, and who handles them

Days 30 to 8: coordinate and communicate

Tell your people

• Share the move date, the floor plan, and what changes for each team
• Assign seating or team neighborhoods before move week
• Give clear packing rules and one labeling system for everyone

Tell your clients and vendors

• Update your address on your website, email signatures, invoices, and business listings
• Notify clients and partners of the date and the new location
• Update your bank, insurance, licenses, and mail forwarding

Confirm building logistics

• Reserve the elevator and loading dock for move day and for furniture delivery
• Send the building the certificates of insurance it requires from your movers and installers
• Walk the new space with your installer to check delivery paths, power, and readiness

Plan the old space

• Sort furniture and equipment into reuse, resale or donation, recycling, and removal
• Schedule decommissioning and the landlord walk-through
• Photograph the condition of the space before anything leaves

Move week: pack, label, and move

Pack by destination

• Label every box and piece by its room in the new space, not by its old location
• Keep sensitive documents, valuables, and critical equipment with a person, not on the truck
• Have IT pack and label its own equipment

Run move day

• Assign a lead for each point: loading, receiving, IT, and furniture installation
• Check inventory at both ends
• Set up essential workstations and connections first

Walk the space before anyone arrives

Check that furniture sits where the plan says, that power and data are live, that AV works, and that signage is up. Keep a written punch list of anything left to fix.

Day one and the first 30 days

Make day one easy

• Greet people at the door and point them to their seats
• Put a floor map and a Wi-Fi guide at reception
• Staff a help point for the first morning

Close out the first 30 days

• Work through the punch list until it is empty
• Finish the old space: final walk-through, keys, badges, and deposits
• Ask your team what works and what does not, then adjust the space

Why San Diego teams plan their move with Beckon

A move has a lot of moving parts, and most of them belong to different people. We put them on a single plan, so the date you set on day 90 is the date you get.

• A plan counted backward from your date. Design, furniture, AV, signage, installation, and the move all sit on one schedule that counts down from move-in day.
• Lead times settled in week one. We confirm furniture, AV, and signage delivery windows in writing at the start, before they can set your schedule for you.
• The floor, seen before it is built. 3D renderings show how the new space will look and work, so the layout is settled before a single furniture order goes in.
• Installers who know the plan. The people who specified your furniture install it, check every piece against the drawings, and stay on the punch list until it is empty.
• The old space closed out alongside the new one. Decommissioning, resale or donation, recycling, and the landlord walk-through run in step with the move, so nothing is left behind.

Plan it early. Install it right. Land on the date.

Office move checklist: common questions

How far ahead should we start planning an office move?

Many checklists recommend three to six months. If your lease is signed and you have 90 days, it works when design, ordering, and building approvals start in the first week. The long-lead items set the pace.

How long does an office move take?

Move day itself usually takes one to three days. The weeks before and after carry most of the work, from design and ordering to the punch list and closing out the old space.

Who should own the office move?

One person with the authority to decide, supported by a small team from facilities, IT, HR, and finance. A single owner keeps decisions from stalling.

What should an office relocation checklist include for the old space?

Your lease's restoration terms, a plan for every piece of furniture, a decommissioning date, a landlord walk-through, and a photo record of the condition. Sort furniture into reuse, resale or donation, recycling, and removal early.

Can one team handle design, furniture, and the move?

Yes. We coordinate space planning, furniture, installation, the move, and decommissioning under one plan, so you work with one team and one call.

Let's plan your move

A move is the one moment when everyone walks into your space with fresh eyes. Day one sets the tone for how your people, your clients, and your guests feel about it. Beckon Back is how we plan for that moment: a space that gives them a reason to stay, connect, and come back.

Tell us your lease date and your move-in date. We build the plan backward from there.

One move. One team. Nothing falls through the cracks.

Plan Your Move →

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