How to Plan an Office Move in Vancouver: A Step-by-Step Guide

An office move touches everyone in your business - staff, IT, clients, and your landlord. Done well, it's a weekend project nobody notices. Done badly, it costs days of lost productivity. Here's how Vancouver businesses can plan an office relocation that stays on schedule.

1. Start 3-6 months out

For most offices, planning should begin three to six months before the move date. Larger offices or moves involving new furniture need more lead time. Start by naming one internal move coordinator who makes decisions and is the single contact for your movers, landlord and IT team.

Early tasks:

• Confirm lease end and start dates, and any overlap between spaces.
• Get floor plans for the new office.
• Decide what's moving, what's being replaced, and what needs to be disposed of.

2. Book a walkthrough with commercial movers

A residential mover and an office and commercial moving crew are not the same. Ask for an on-site walkthrough so the mover can see workstations, server equipment, filing, and access points. A good commercial mover will ask about elevators, loading docks, parking, and building hours, then give you a custom quote and a crew and truck plan.

3. Book the buildings early

Downtown Vancouver, Burnaby Metrotown and Surrey towers often require:

• Elevator and loading dock bookings (sometimes weeks in advance).
• A certificate of insurance naming the building management.
• Moves outside business hours.

Ask both your current and new property managers for their move-in/move-out rules as soon as you sign the lease.

4. Plan IT before anything else

IT is the part that most often causes downtime. Work with your IT provider and movers to plan:

• Labelling every workstation, monitor and peripheral by desk number.
• Who disconnects and reconnects equipment (your IT team, or a mover offering IT disconnect/reconnect).
• Internet and phone service at the new location, live before move day.
• Server and network equipment handling.

5. Label everything with the new floor plan

Give each desk, room and department a code that matches the new floor plan. Crates, furniture and equipment all get the same code, so the crew places everything in the right spot without asking.

6. Decide on furniture: move, reinstall or replace

Systems furniture and workstations usually need to be disassembled and reinstalled. If you're buying new furniture, coordinate delivery and installation with the move so you don't end up with two crews and two schedules. Old furniture you're not keeping needs a disposal or recycling plan - don't leave it to the last day.

7. Communicate with staff

Send staff a simple timeline: when to pack personal items, when their computer will be disconnected, and where to show up on day one. Our moving checklist is a good starting point to adapt for your team.

8. Move day and the day after

On move day, your coordinator should be on site at both locations or reachable by phone. Plan a walkthrough the next morning to check that everything is in place, connected and working. Keep a short punch list for any adjustments.

9. Clean up the old space

Most leases require the old space to be returned empty and clean. Plan decommissioning and disposal of leftover furniture and e-waste so you can hand back the keys on time.

Planning an office move in Metro Vancouver?

Big Brothers Moving handles office moves, furniture installation, IT disconnect and reconnect, decommissioning and disposal, with after-hours crews and our own fleet of 3-ton and 5-ton trucks. We serve Horseshoe Bay to Langley. Request a custom quote or call 604-218-MOVE.