Office & company moves

• Terminating the rental contract
  If for starters a new office has been found, acquire information about the notice period of the old company premises and submit a written notice of termination in due time. The notice periods and other contractual agreements in business premises may differ from those of rental flats.
• Finding a moving company
  Company moves are a more delicate venture than private moves. For this reason, more and more companies are opting for professional relocation services from moving companies. Only in the rarest of cases are they carried out independently. Enquire about suitable companies and get various offers for comparison.
• Setting the moving date
  Once you have found the right company and have accepted the cost proposal, the moving date can be set. The earlier you start planning, the more dates you will have to choose from and the better organised the company move will be.
• Specify a key contact
  When a company moves, questions of all kinds often arise. Specify a resilient person as the key contact for all employees and companies involved. This gives you a structure and removes ambiguities.
• Informing employees
  As soon as the date for the office move has been set, employees should also be told about the plan. Communicate the benefits of the new location to get the workforce excited about the project.

• Informing customers and business partners
  If there are downtimes during the move, it is important to inform customers and business partners of them. If a move lasting over several days is planned, then an emergency number or an emergency email address would be a good way to be able to respond promptly to emergencies.
• Informing regular service providers, offices and authorities
  An important point often forgotten is disclosing the move to regular service providers in good time. Tax consultants, lawyers, tax authorities and the like should be informed in advance of the change of address.

Now it's time to get down to business. Only four more weeks until the moving day.

• Decluttering and clearing out
  Just like a private move, a company move can also be a perfect opportunity to clear out things. Which furniture pieces do you actually need in the new offices and which can be disposed of? The less you take with you, the cheaper a move costs with a professional company.
• Creating an office plan/furnishing plan
  A furnishing plan can make the work of removal men much easier and makes things more organised during the move. If the office plan is drawn up in advance, employees' wishes can also be included in it and any disputes about who gets which room can be avoided. Room plans and instructions on seating are also worth a mint for moving companies. They save time, prevent chaos and ensure that everything gets to its designated spot immediately.
• Acquiring packaging material
  If you are carrying out your company move on your own, you should now acquire packaging material and moving boxes. If you are moving with a moving company, you can also rent boxes. These are then delivered on request so that you have enough time to pack. But consider in advance what you would pay more for a packing service from the moving company or your employees' time?
• Applying for a no-parking zone
  Is there a lack of parking spaces at the old and new locations? Whether a company or private move, having a parking space for your van directly in front of your house is always an advantage. Can you reserve a parking space or do you have to apply for a no-parking zone for the moving day? If you are moving with a moving company, you can ask them to arrange for a no parking zone. Getting the approval can take up to 3 weeks, so we advise dealing with this one month before the actual move.

About two weeks before the office move, it's time to take stock. In the course of this, documents and files should be reviewed, sorted, or, if necessary, destroyed.

• Taking stock of the furnishings
  Use the move for detailed stock-taking. This not only gives you an accurate overview of all items but also allows you to check after the move whether things have been damaged or lost.
• Archiving and destroying documents
  Certain documents need to be kept for many years. A move is a good way to check archives and destroy files that are no longer required. Sort all documents and archive them properly. Also, talk to your system administrator about any necessary backups before moving.

• Setting up a forwarding order at your post office
  So that mail and parcels are not sent to your old office address after the move, it pays off to set up a forwarding order at your post office. With this, all postal items are automatically forwarded to the desired forwarding address for a limited period of time until all contact persons know the new address.

• Business re-registration
  Register your business with the competent authority and do not forget to change the entries in the commercial register if necessary.

Moving day is not far away, and you have already completed the biggest organisational challenge. Now it's time to pack your moving boxes and slowly but surely collect all keys.

• Confirmation of date
  Only two weeks left until moving day. Have the dates confirmed with moving companies, craftsmen and painters again to be on the safe side.

• Packing personal items
  Personal items on desks should be packed by the employees themselves. Hand out boxes for this or ask your employees to take care of it.

• Packing moving boxes
  If you are doing the company move on your own, then you should start packing one to two weeks before the planned relocation.

• Organising the hand-over of keys
  Remember to collect all keys and access cards and organise a handover of keys with the landlord for the moving day or the day after.

• Settling costs with your old landlord
  Shortly before moving, you should make another appointment with your old landlord. Heating and ancillary costs should be settled, and meter readings should be checked or read.

• Checking the condition of the new rooms
  Walk around and check the rooms of the new office before the relocation. The best thing is to take photos of any damage and hand them over to the new landlord.

If everything was well planned, then on the moving day only a few tasks will be required. The office move is almost done! Before handing over the keys to your old landlord, we advise going through the rooms again and checking them for possible damage.

• Cleaning the old rooms
  Have your old rooms professionally cleaned on the (last) day before the company move as soon as they are empty.
• Handover to the landlord
  Prepare a handover protocol and hand over your old office to the landlord or property management.
• Dismantling and installing technical equipment
  Technical equipment should be dismantled and reinstalled at the new location by qualified personnel. It would therefore be of advantage to have an IT specialist on site to manage this part of the move.

• Removing/hanging up company signs
  It is now official that the company is changing location. Remove old company signs and set them up at your new address.

• Moving your entire office inventory
  In your new office, hang up a furniture floor plan or respective sketches so that the removal men know where to place what furniture pieces. Coloured labels on the moving boxes are also helpful for subsequently distributing your removal goods in the new rooms.

• Changing the contact details
  As a first step, change the contact details on the company website and in the site notice. The email signature must also be changed!

• Reporting the move to the tax advisor
  As a rule, relocations can be claimed through tax equalisation. Collect all receipts and invoices from the move and hand them over to the tax advisor.

• Reporting potential damage
  Inspect all rooms and objects for damage promptly after the company move. This should be reported to the company carrying out the removal or to the insurance company within one week.