Guides · office
The NYC Office Move Checklist: 8 Weeks to Move Day
Updated July 2026
8 weeks out: lock the logistics
Confirm your new lease's actual possession date (not the signing date). Request COI requirements and freight-elevator rules from BOTH buildings' management — old and new. Get 2–3 commercial mover walkthroughs scheduled; real quotes require seeing the space. Check your current lease for decommissioning obligations: most NYC office leases require broom-clean condition, and furniture disposal takes longer than anyone expects.
6 weeks out: book everything
Book the mover (weekend and evening slots go first). Reserve freight elevators at both buildings. Order internet/circuits at the new space NOW — telecom install lead times in NYC office buildings run 3–6 weeks and are the #1 cause of 'we moved but can't work.' Inventory what's moving vs. being replaced vs. disposed.
4 weeks out: people and paper
Assign every employee a numbered crate or box allocation. File your change of address with clients, vendors, USPS, Google Business Profile, insurance, and the bank. Order new-office keys/fobs for everyone. Confirm the mover has submitted COIs to both buildings — ask for the email confirmation, don't assume.
1 week out: the cutover plan
Label everything with a floor-plan grid (chair 14 goes to desk 14 — the crew shouldn't need to ask). Back up every machine before it's unplugged. Confirm elevator reservations in writing. Print a one-page move-day contact sheet: mover foreman, both supers, IT person, and one decision-maker who'll be on site at each end.
Move day and after
One person at the origin directing loading, one at the destination directing placement — never zero, never five. IT reconnects and validates before the weekend ends. Walk the old space with photos for the broom-clean handover, and get the landlord's sign-off in writing. Monday morning: people sit down and work. That's the whole test.