There is no doubt that deciding to move offices is a major step for any business. If you need more space, more facilities or to downsize though, it is worth doing. It is important to know how long this process may take before you begin hunting for your next office space. This allows you to make the move as unobtrusive to your business as possible.Properly planning the move with a schedule to follow will certainly help make any office relocation more efficient. But exactly how long does relocating offices take?

3 components determine the timescale

In simple terms, there are 3 major factors which will determine how long the relocation may take. They are:

– whether you move to a leased, managed or serviced office
– how big your team is
– how much time you can spend searching for new officesWhile this gives a good idea of what factors affect the timescale, it is worth drilling down into them a little deeper.

Type of office

The first major factor to think about is the type of office you will relocate too. This can often be THE main element in determining how long the process takes. Serviced offices are a much quicker option for example because everything is ready for you to move into with no hassle. This can often see you relocating within days to this type of space.

But what about the other types of office? Managed offices can take a bit longer to move too. This is because they are a customised option. As a general guide, relocating to this sort of office could take a month or so.

Leased offices are different again! As a lease is a complex legal agreement, relocating here could take up to 8 weeks. This sort of office will also see you responsible for furnishing the space and sorting out things like utilities and internet. In light of this, it is critical to plan a move to a leased office well in advance.

How big is your team?

One good rule of thumb is that bigger businesses take longer than smaller ones to relocate. This is down to there being more staff to move and also the search for suitable premises taking longer. A smaller business going into a serviced office for example may take a day or two, while a large company moving to a serviced office may take a week or so

How much time do you have to search?

How long relocation takes also comes down to how much time you have to find the new office. If you can devote yourself to it and find a new space quickly, then the whole process will naturally be faster. If, for example, you spend a day finding a new managed space for your small business, then you could move in over the next week. If you spend 2 or 3 weeks looking for the same space though, you might find it takes almost a month to relocate.

Moving office takes planning

As the above shows, relocating offices takes careful planning. Getting a rough idea of the timeline is wise so you have a schedule to work to. Making sure that any relocation time is as short as possible will also see less disruption caused to your business.