Start with owners and evidence, not a fixed countdown
This checklist is for the person coordinating an office move, especially when a small team has no dedicated facilities manager. NYC Moving Pros prepared it around building access, inventory and IT handoffs, with the published building examples below checked on October 2, 2026. Eight weeks is a planning framework, not a required lead time or a promise of availability. Use your actual lease, management instructions and vendor confirmations to set dates.
Discuss the scope of a small office relocationEight weeks out: make a two-building approval sheet
Give each building its own row in your move plan. Record possession date, permitted work hours, loading entrance, freight contact, certificate instructions, approval deadline, protection requirements and the person who can authorize access. Add columns for requested, submitted and approved. A submitted COI and a requested elevator slot are not approvals. Save the confirmation or note the open question.
Understand COI wording and building approvalSix weeks out: reconcile the inventory and destinations
Assign an item or group ID, quantity, origin room, destination room and decision: move, retain, remove or review. Record dimensions for pieces that may not fit the freight car or turns along the route. Ask the moving partner to review the actual inventory and access before agreeing scope. Have your IT provider confirm service installation and testing dates directly; do not infer readiness from a scheduled installation.
Four weeks out: write the access sequence
Work backward from the destination freight window. Allow for origin loading, travel, security check-in, protection setup and unloading; ask the partner to validate the sequence. If the windows do not align, resolve the gap before booking. Name one on-site contact at each end and agree who can approve scope changes. Ask management how reservations, cancellations and building staffing charges work.
Why a weekend reservation needs more than a date
140 Broadway’s published procedures specify after-hours scheduling, tenant-paid elevator staffing and supervised access. One New York Plaza’s handbook also directs tenants to arrange moves through management. These are examples, not citywide rules or evidence that your building has approved a move. Request current instructions for both addresses, including who opens the suite and who remains until the crew leaves.
One week out: separate IT readiness from physical delivery
Your IT owner should verify backups, identify devices that cannot be transported yet, and confirm who disconnects, reconnects and tests each system. Label equipment with destination IDs and keep credentials out of labels and shared move documents. Agree an acceptance check for essential connectivity, printers and workstations. A delivered computer is not a tested workstation.
Before loading: hold a go/no-go review
Proceed only after the responsible people confirm access at both ends, building approval, agreed inventory and a safe destination for every load. If internet is not ready, decide whether staff can work elsewhere while the physical move proceeds. If destination access is unresolved, pause dispatch and agree a revised plan. Record who makes that decision, the deadline and any rescheduling or storage terms.
Move day: reconcile what arrived
Keep one inventory copy at each end. Mark loaded and received items, inspect visible condition with the partner, and list missing pieces or placement exceptions while the crew is present. Keep sensitive records under your organization’s handling rules. Separate transport completion, IT acceptance and old-space handback into three sign-offs so an unfinished task does not disappear.
After the move: close out the old space
Use the lease and written landlord instructions to identify any remaining removal, cleaning or repair work. Photograph the condition, retain agreed disposal or donation records when available, and record exceptions before the handback appointment. Moving retained furniture does not automatically complete a lease-end scope.
Review the separate office closeout scopeTurn the checklist into a request
Have both addresses, your preferred window, desk and furniture counts, freight details, IT responsibilities and unresolved approvals ready. Share logistical requirements without passwords, client files or employee personal information. The quote flow can collect an office request; the partner still needs to confirm the scope, timing and estimate.
Request an office move scope reviewKeep the timeline visible
Use a single checklist with an owner and evidence of completion for each dependency. A short plan that names who is waiting on whom is more useful than a long list marked done without confirmation.
Use the office move planner