While moving offices brings excitement, growth, and new opportunities, it can also be stressful. A Clutch survey recently found that 67% of employees experienced challenges during office relocations, with distractions and workflow disruptions ranking the highest.
The key to minimising downtime and ensuring a smooth transition is a clear, manageable list of things to plan and take care of leading up to your office moving day.
We’ve created the ultimate South Africa-specific office moving list, designed to guide you from six months before your move right through to post-move setup. Whether you're a startup in Johannesburg or an expanding team in Cape Town, this resource helps you tick off every key task with confidence.
If you need more in-depth guidance, don’t miss our complete office relocation guide filled with expert tips from the Wise Move team to help you plan a smooth, stress-free transition.
Confirm new office space, move-in date & lease details.
Before you start preparing to move, you first have to confirm where you’re actually moving to. Once you’ve found the perfect new office space and signed the lease, you can then confirm important details that will determine your moving plan, such as the location, the office size and when you’ll be allowed to move in.
Appoint an internal moving team or project lead.
Planning and executing an office relocation is a herculean task and a load far too much for one person, whether you’re a small business or a large corporation. To ensure a smooth and successful move, it’s best to designate the task to a small team who are best equipped to deal with this kind of task. You can even consult a relocation specialist to guide you.
Create your office move timeline.
Now that you know the basic details and the team that’s going to be spearheading the project, you can pick your official moving day. Knowing the time you have to prepare, you can then take your moving day and work backwards, using this checklist to guide you, filling in the projected dates for each task. But remember, plans change. Be prepared to adjust the timeline as you go along the process.
Inform employees about the upcoming move.
It’s time to let your employees know of the exciting new adventure on the horizon. The earlier you inform them, the more time they have to prepare. It also gives you some breathing room to adjust the plan if it clashes with any of them.
Finalise your relocation budget with the finance team.
You can’t start preparing for your big office move if you don’t yet know how much money you have to work with. Sit down with your finance department and draw up a realistic moving budget. Finalising this early on allows you to have time to save and find funds if it’s going to be a tight squeeze.
Walk through the new office for measurements and planning.
It’s time to start visualising. A walk-through of your new office space will help determine if everything in your old office space will fit into your new one and how it might all come together. It also gives you a chance to decide if you’re going to do any renovations or if the building needs any repairs with plenty of time to get it all done before moving day.
Declutter and decide what to keep, sell or donate.
With a general idea of the new space in mind, you can now go through your office and take note of everything you’re keeping and everything you’d rather let go. Holding onto some special, beloved items can help create a familiar environment and aid in post-move productivity. But getting rid of old items, worn out, broken or unused not only saves you time but also saves you money with a lighter load and smaller volume.
Start a full inventory audit of furniture, IT and storage.
While you go through everything, conduct a room-by-room inventory of everything in the current office that you'll be moving across to the new office space—from desks and chairs to monitors, printers, and server equipment.
While you go through everything, don’t forget to document smaller but essential items like cables, routers, extension cords, and kitchenware—these often go missing during moves. A well-documented inventory will also help you cross-check items as they arrive and assist with any insurance claims if items are damaged during transit.
Book trusted office movers through Wise Move.
While finding an affordable, trusted moving service can be hard and tedious, it doesn’t have to be. Using Wise Move’s moving company platform, you can quickly and effortlessly book a top-rated office relocation service that’s best for both your business and your budget.
Notify your suppliers, clients, and service providers
The last thing you want is for your clients or suppliers to rock up to your office and realise that you’re no longer there. Send a notice to everyone in your office letting them know that you’ll be moving and give them the new address. Make sure to remind them closer to the time so that they don’t forget.
Organise insurance cover for your items during transit
All vetted moving companies on Wise Move's booking platform come with basic insurance coverage. However, it’s still worth reviewing the details of what’s covered (and to what value), especially if you’re moving high-value office equipment or sensitive IT systems. For added peace of mind, consider taking out supplementary insurance if needed, to ensure full coverage during transit.
Purchase or source all your moving supplies.
You’re going to need quite a lot of packaging supplies, so it’s best to start collecting, bearing in mind you almost always end up needing more than you first think. You can either buy them new or if you want to save on costs, source them second-hand from friends, family or even local businesses. Here’s a list of moving supplies you may need:
Packing boxes
Furniture covers
Tape and tape dispenser
Bubble wrap
Packing peanuts (small, lightweight pieces of foam used as cushioning material when packing boxes)
Labelling supplies (markers, stickers, label sheets or tags, fragile stickers and tape)
Start packing up your office furniture and supplies.
If you’ve been in your office space for a while, you’ve likely collected a lot of stuff over the years. To avoid any last-minute chaos, the sooner you start packing, the better. Start with non-essential items that are rarely used, such as files, archives, unused chairs, and spare equipment.
Order any new office furniture or equipment.
Whether you’re moving to a bigger space or a smaller space, it’s always nice to fill it with some stunning, new items to revive and refresh the work environment, especially if you want to create a new aesthetic in the environment. It’s also a great opportunity to update, upgrade and invest in some new technology and equipment to help take your business to the next level.
Arrange off-site storage if required.
If you don’t think everything will fit into your new office space, and you don’t want to let anything go, now is the time to start organising some off-site storage. This could be file storage, spare supplies or even some Christmas decorations.
Back up all company data (servers, computers, cloud).
An office move nightmare is that during the move, something happens to your hardware and you lose all your data, and then have to spend time, money and stress trying to recover everything. So if your data isn’t already backed up to the cloud, now is the time.
Schedule IT and telecoms set-up for the new location.
If you want your team to get back to business as soon as possible post-move, it’s important to have the IT systems up and running before they even get there. Get your IT to start setting up the WIFI, internet, computers, servers and any other IT equipment your business needs.
Don't forget to take a few days to test everything to ensure everything is working as it should and minimise disruptions post-move.
Update your business details with relevant service providers and across your channels.
Notify all relevant institutions and s of your new address, including SARS, CIPC, banks, insurers, and service providers to avoid compliance issues and ensure uninterrupted operations. This also includes your company documentation. You'll then need to update your address on your website, Google, Email signatures and social media platforms to ensure your clients and potential clients can find you.
Prepare and distribute internal move communications to staff.
Create clear internal communications to keep your team informed about key dates, responsibilities, and expectations during the move. This helps reduce confusion and ensures everyone is prepared.
Give the new office a good deep clean.
Hire a professional cleaning service to thoroughly clean the new office, to ensure it's move-in ready before any items or employees arrive.
Start moving the non-essential items.
To ease the stress and load of the approaching moving day, you can start moving some items across to the new office. Start with the non-essential items that your employees don’t use regularly. Otherwise, if you empty the office too quickly, you’ll impact the office’s productivity in the last couple of weeks. You can also try to do it after hours or on the weekends to limit the disruption in the office.
Distribute packing boxes to staff and assign desk responsibilities.
With moving day fast approaching, now is the time to hand out packing materials to the team so they can start packing up their desks. Give them clear instructions to label all their boxes, keep an inventory of what's in their boxes and place their items together—to make it easy to find them after the move. A clear deadline is important as they have only a few days to get everything together.
Label and categorise all packed boxes across all departments
Use clear labels and categorisation (e.g. department, contents, room location) on every box to make unpacking more efficient and reduce confusion during the move.
Finalise IT system installation and test connectivity
Ensure all IT infrastructure, including internet, phone lines, and internal systems, is fully installed and tested so your team can hit the ground running on day one.
Confirm parking, security and access logistics at the new site
Sort our access for all employees to your new office space before they arrive, whether it's office keys, card scanners or ID badges. It’s also a good time to finalise the parking situation and ensure everyone who needs it has access to office parking.
Confirm the moving day schedule with your office movers.
With only a few days to go, it’s best to check in with the moving company to make sure you’re all on the same page and it’s all on schedule. You also want to double-check the time they'll be arriving on a moving day.
Prepare an emergency contact list and day-of-move checklist.
Compile a list of key contacts (e.g. building manager, movers, IT support) and a detailed move-day checklist to help everything run smoothly and handle any issues quickly.
Arrive early and be ready to greet movers when they arrive.
Make sure to be at the office on your moving day before the movers get there to show them in and help them navigate the loading process. You can also then point out any special or fragile items that require extra care.
Flag any fragile or high-priority items
Identify the boxes or equipment that are marked as fragile and valuable, which items need to be prioritised for unpacking and in which space they should be placed. Share this information with your moving team to ensure these items are handled with extra care and given priority when unloading at your new office.
Oversee load-out and transport process.
Assign a point person (or team) to supervise the moving company during the loading and transport phase. Even though they are professionals with the experience and expertise to move your items safely and efficiently, having someone available and on call ensures everything is packed securely, nothing is left behind, and any issues can be addressed immediately.
Do a final run-through of both the old and new office.
Once the movers have cleared the old office, do a final sweep to make sure everything is out and there isn’t anything left behind—check all rooms including the kitchen and storeroom. Cross-check your inventory as items arrive at the new office. Then, do a final check once everything is moved to ensure there is no damage or breakages during transit.
Start unpacking and set up communal spaces first (kitchen, bathrooms, meeting rooms)
The sooner everything gets unpacked, the sooner everyone can get back to business as usual. Try to get the office as ready as possible before your employees get back to help them settle in quickly. When your employees officially get to the new office, ideally all they should worry about is their own box of personal belongings.
Distribute and arrange employee workstations
Set up each employee’s workstation according to your office floor plan, ensuring that desks, chairs, monitors, and other equipment are in place and ready to use. Make sure everyone has access to the tools and resources they need from day one, from power outlets and internet connections to storage and ergonomic setups. A well-organised workstation setup helps employees settle in faster and minimises post-move disruptions.
Help your employees adjust to the move.
Moving offices can be quite an adjustment for your team, especially if there are big changes in things like their space and commute. So check in with your employees regularly after the move, offering support and solutions to any challenges they may be experiencing. You can also gather team feedback via a short survey or debriefing session.
Host an office warming party.
Celebrate the exciting next chapter for you, your team and your business with a little office warming party, giving everyone a chance to get comfortable in the new space. It’s also a great way to welcome any new employees joining the team.
If you're searching for top-rated and reliable office relocation services in South Africa, Wise Move is your go-to platform.
Simply post your move request and receive multiple quotes from vetted, insured movers near you. Compare prices, read reviews, and choose the best partner to handle your office move with care and professionalism.
Get a moving quote today and tick an important step off from your complete office move checklist.
We built Wise Move to make a quick and easy connection between customers and moving professionals – our platform is the stepping stone to make removals easier and more streamlined than ever before, and it all starts with one click. We’re dedicated to helping customers book the best, most efficient and most cost-effective movers in South Africa, both at a local and at a national level.
![How Many Moving Boxes Do You Need [Quick Guide]](https://cdn.wisemove.co.za/image/blog/f402bbe3e47e09aa41a6d8370888b926.jpeg "How Many Moving Boxes Do You Need [Quick Guide]")
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