By Tenant Advisory Group · Updated
Short answer
Work in phases. As soon as the lease is signed, order internet service and name a move lead. During build-out, coordinate cabling, equipment rooms, access control and vendors, and collect insurance certificates. Before move day, test the network and reserve elevators at both buildings. Afterward, return the old space in the condition your lease requires and document it.
Phase 1: as soon as the lease is signed
The tasks with the longest lead times start now, even if the move feels far away. Internet service is the usual example. Bringing a new circuit into a building can involve the carrier, the landlord and the riser management company, and the schedule is not in your control. A finished office with no connectivity is the most common way a technology company’s move goes wrong.
- Have we named one move lead with authority to make decisions and a budget?
- Have we ordered primary internet service, and a second connection from a different carrier if we need redundancy?
- Have we confirmed with the landlord how carriers get access to the building and the riser, and who approves the work?
- Have we given notice, or confirmed the end date, under our current lease, sublease or coworking agreement?
- Have we read the surrender and restoration terms of the current lease so the cost is in the budget?
- Have we set a target move date with slack before the old lease ends, so a construction delay does not push us into holdover?
- Have we listed every vendor and system that depends on our address?
- Do we know what the new building requires of movers and vendors, including insurance and working hours?
Phase 2: during design and build-out
While the space is being designed and built, your IT lead should be part of the project team, not a late reviewer. Decisions about where the equipment room sits, how it is cooled and powered, and where cable runs are cheap to change on a drawing and expensive to change after the walls are closed.
- Do the construction drawings show the equipment room, its cooling, its dedicated power and its door hardware as we specified?
- Has low-voltage cabling been designed, priced and scheduled, and by whom: our vendor or the landlord’s contractor?
- Are wireless access point locations, conference room audiovisual and any ceiling-mounted devices on the plans?
- Have we selected access control and camera systems and confirmed how they connect to the building’s systems?
- Have we ordered furniture, and does its delivery date match the construction schedule?
- Have we selected a mover with experience in the new building and in handling technical equipment?
- Has our insurance broker reviewed the new lease’s insurance requirements and arranged coverage from the date we first enter?
- Do we have early access for cabling and furniture before the lease term starts, and is it in the lease?
Ask each building for its certificate of insurance requirements and send them to every vendor early. Movers, cabling installers and furniture crews are commonly turned away at the dock for a missing or incorrect certificate.
Phase 3: the weeks before the move
This phase is about removing surprises. Everything that can be tested before move day should be.
- Is the internet circuit installed, live and tested in the new space?
- Is the network equipment racked, configured and tested, with wireless coverage checked in every room?
- Have we reserved the freight elevator and loading dock at both buildings, and do we know the permitted hours?
- Have we given both property managers the mover’s details and insurance certificates?
- Has every employee received packing instructions, a labeling scheme and a floor plan with seat assignments?
- Have we decided what is not moving, and arranged secure disposal of old equipment and wiping or destruction of storage media?
- Are access cards or credentials for the new space issued and tested?
- Have we told customers, vendors, banks, insurers, payroll and benefits providers, and government agencies about the new address, and set up mail forwarding?
- Have we checked whether any customer contract or security certification requires notice of a change in location?
- Is there a written cutover plan with a named owner for each step and a fallback if something fails?
For companies with security or compliance commitments, treat the move as a controlled change. Keep a record of the chain of custody for servers, laptops and storage devices, and confirm that the new premises meet the physical security controls you have described to customers and auditors before work starts there.
Phase 4: move day and cutover
Most technology companies move over a weekend or after hours, which also tends to be when buildings permit it. A clear sequence limits downtime.
- Back up critical systems and confirm the backups before anything is unplugged.
- Shut down and pack equipment in a planned order, with your own staff or a specialist vendor handling servers and network gear.
- Have a company representative at each building for the duration of the move.
- Reconnect and test in priority order: network core, internet, wireless, access control, then conference rooms and individual desks.
- Walk the new space against the floor plan and resolve misplaced items before the team arrives.
- Run a check with a small group before the first full working day.
- Keep the old space accessible for a short period in case something was left behind.
Staff the first morning generously. Have IT support on the floor, a way to report problems and someone who can answer questions about the building, from the entry procedure to the heating and cooling hours.
Phase 5: the first weeks in the new space
- Have we walked the space with the landlord or contractor and recorded unfinished or defective work in a punch list?
- Have we confirmed in writing the commencement date and the rent start date, if the lease calls for a commencement memorandum?
- Have we submitted what the landlord needs to release any improvement allowance, within the deadline in the lease?
- Have we entered every critical lease date into a calendar: option notices, expiration, deposit reduction dates?
- Have we checked the first rent invoice against the lease?
- Do we have the building’s contacts and procedures for after-hours cooling, service requests and emergencies?
- Have we collected warranties, manuals and as-built drawings for the improvements?
Phase 6: surrendering the old space
The old lease is not finished when the last box leaves. It ends when you have returned the space as the lease requires, and disputes over that condition are a common reason deposits are held back.
- What does the lease require us to remove: cabling, equipment room installations, supplemental cooling units, signage, security devices, specialty construction?
- Did the landlord agree, when it approved any alteration, that it could stay? Do we have that in writing?
- Have we scheduled removal and repair work to finish before the lease expires?
- Is the space clean and empty of furniture, equipment and trash?
- Have we returned all keys, access cards and parking passes, and obtained a receipt?
- Have we closed utility and service accounts tied to the old address?
- Have we walked the space with the property manager, taken dated photographs and asked for written confirmation of its condition?
- Have we asked in writing for the return of the security deposit or the release of the letter of credit, and noted the deadline in the lease?
Leave on time. Staying past expiration, even by a few days to finish removal work, can trigger holdover rent under many leases. If the schedule is at risk, raise it with the landlord before the date passes, not after.
TAG stays involved after a lease is signed, coordinating with the project team through build-out and helping technology, software and data clients track the dates on both the old lease and the new one.
Frequently asked questions
What should a tech company do first when planning a move?
Order internet service for the new space and name a move lead. Carrier installation is outside your control and is the item most likely to delay a working office.
Why do buildings ask for certificates of insurance?
Landlords generally require anyone working in the building, including movers and installers, to show insurance that meets the building’s requirements. Vendors without the right certificate can be refused entry.
Do we have to remove our cabling when we leave?
It depends on your lease. Many leases require removal of cabling and specialty installations unless the landlord agreed otherwise in writing. Read the surrender clause and confirm with your attorney.
How do we avoid paying rent on two spaces?
Some overlap is usually sensible, because it protects you from construction delays. Limit it by aligning the new lease’s start with the old expiration and by starting long-lead tasks early.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Have your attorney review any lease before you sign it.