A Monday morning spent hunting for monitor cables is frustrating. A Monday morning with no internet, no phones and customers waiting is a bigger problem. If you’re comparing office removalists Gold Coast businesses can turn to, start with a plan for keeping your team productive while the furniture moves.
Moving without losing a full working day takes preparation, a suitable moving window and a tested backup arrangement. Some systems may still need a planned interruption. This office relocation checklist helps you organise the move around essential work, from booking building access to checking that staff can serve customers at the new address.
Two to three months before: plan how work will continue
Start as soon as the new premises are confirmed. Internet installation and fitout readiness can determine your schedule: nbn recommends planning a business relocation two to three months ahead.
- Name one move coordinator. Give each task an owner and deadline in a shared checklist. Keep your removalist, IT provider and both building managers’ contact details together.
- Identify essential operations. List what must remain available, such as customer calls, bookings, payroll or order processing. Agree on the longest acceptable interruption for each.
- Choose your moving approach. Consider an evening or weekend move, or relocate departments in stages while a small team keeps serving customers.
- Confirm the new connection. Ask your internet provider about service availability, installation dates and phone-number transfer arrangements. An existing connection box does not mean your service is active.
- Prepare a fallback. Arrange approved remote work or temporary workstations. Test the required software and a backup connection before relying on them.
For example, your reception team might answer diverted calls from home while desks are transported on Friday evening. That arrangement only works if staff can also access bookings, customer records and their login authentication.
Four to six weeks before: brief your office removalists Gold Coast team
A useful quote starts with the details of your office. Give your movers an inventory, photos and access information for both addresses, whether you’re moving between Southport and Bundall or relocating across the Coast.
- Count what is moving. Include desks, chairs, cabinets, monitors, printers and archive boxes. Flag heavy, fragile or specialist equipment separately.
- Confirm access at both buildings. Check loading bays, truck clearance, lift dimensions, goods-lift bookings, permitted moving hours and any protection the building manager requires.
- Agree on the work included. Confirm packing, furniture disassembly, transport, placement and reassembly. Assign IT shutdown and reconnection to your IT provider unless explicitly agreed otherwise.
- Check the written quote. Clarify crew size, hourly or fixed pricing, travel charges, minimum hours, materials, after-hours fees and how access delays are charged.
- Clarify protection and exclusions. Ask what insurance applies to your items, including any limits, excesses and requirements for equipment you pack yourself.
Good Mates Removals’ office relocation services cover packing, transport, unpacking and furniture setup, with off-hours or weekend scheduling available to help reduce disruption. Confirm the scope and availability for your move before booking.
Two weeks before: prepare people, packing and the floor plan
Make it easy for every item to reach its final position. A box marked “office” gives your movers much less direction than “Level 2, Accounts, Desk A04”.
- Finalise the layout. Number desks and rooms on a floor plan. Check furniture dimensions against doorways, lifts and the spaces where it will be installed.
- Sort before packing. Identify what moves, stays or needs disposal. Have the responsible person approve document disposal before anything is shredded.
- Pack non-essential items first. Start with spare stationery and infrequently used materials. Assign staff packing deadlines around their workload, or arrange professional packing and unpacking.
- Use consistent labels. Add destination, workstation number and unpacking priority. Bag cables and fixings with matching equipment labels.
- Plan confidential-file handling. Use sealed, numbered containers and record who hands them over and receives them. Keep sensitive client details off external labels.
- Tell people what changes. Give staff their work location and reporting time. Notify customers, suppliers and couriers, and schedule address changes across your website, listings, invoices and business records.
The final week: test everything you need to reopen
Leave time to solve problems before the truck arrives. Your IT provider should confirm that the new workspace supports the work your team actually does.
- Test the new office connection. Check calls, email, shared files, essential applications and remote access from a working device at the new premises.
- Verify backups. Complete the agreed pre-move backup and confirm data can be restored. The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends testing backup restoration, rather than assuming a completed backup will work.
- Confirm the shutdown sequence. Let IT specify when equipment can be disconnected and who restarts it. Check preparation instructions for leased printers and other specialist devices.
- Pack a first-day kit. Keep essential laptops, chargers, access passes, the floor plan and key contact numbers accessible.
- Reconfirm the schedule. Check keys, lift bookings, loading access and on-site contacts. Leave time between unloading and staff returning for setup and testing.
Moving day: follow the agreed order
- Brief the crew. Walk through fragile items, access routes, furniture placement and equipment that must be available first.
- Keep the fallback team working. Leave essential staff on their tested arrangement until the new office is ready.
- Track priority items. Check numbered equipment and document containers out of the old office and into the new one.
- Leave premises-specific equipment behind. The nbn connection box, nbn-supplied power adaptor and accompanying cables stay at the old address. Check uncertain items with your provider.
- Check both spaces. Record any damage, confirm item placement and keep walkways and exits clear. Leave heavy lifting to the moving crew.
Before staff return: sign off a working office
- Make an incoming and outgoing call and confirm any call diversion changes.
- Test logins, email, shared files and a typical customer task from the new workspace.
- Check essential printers, meeting equipment and payment devices where applicable.
- Confirm desks are ready, equipment is accounted for and staff have building access.
- Have the move coordinator and IT lead approve reopening, or activate the fallback and tell staff where to work.
Keep a short issues list with an owner for each item. Decorative items and spare supplies can wait while you resolve anything stopping people from working.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should we book an office move?
Contact your removalist once your dates and premises are confirmed, especially for a weekend booking. Start planning connectivity early: nbn suggests two to three months, and your provider can advise on the specific lead time.
How long does an office relocation take?
It depends on your inventory, access, travel and setup requirements. Ask for separate estimates for packing, transport and reassembly, then allow your IT provider time to reconnect and test systems.
Can we move our office over a weekend?
Yes, subject to removalist availability and both buildings’ access rules. Good Mates offers weekend scheduling, but book a testing window before Monday and confirm your IT support is available too.
Can removalists move computers and servers?
Discuss the equipment and packing requirements when requesting your quote. Physical transport and technical migration are separate tasks: have your IT provider manage backups, shutdown, reconnection and testing, and confirm specialist server handling beforehand.
Plan your business move with Good Mates
Send Good Mates Removals your inventory, both addresses, preferred moving window and access details. Request an office moving quote and tell us which parts of your business need to keep running, so we can plan the physical move around them.