There are six key considerations when moving office, namely lease and property obligations at the old site; space planning and layout requirements at the new site; IT and communications infrastructure; staff communication and change management; a complete inventory of furniture, equipment, and supplies needed to be operational from day one; and the supplier arrangements that will service the new location. For most businesses, the biggest risks in an office move are not the removalists or the truck. It’s the supplies that run out on the first week because the standing order went to the old address, the meeting room that has no whiteboard or stationery, and the kitchen that has no basics because nobody ordered for the new site.
The Australian office market is in a period of sustained restructuring. The national CBD vacancy rate reached 14.8% in January 2026, and Australian office absorption hit 135,279 square metres in H2 2025, the highest H2 total since 2022, according to Property Council of Australia and CBRE data. At the same time, the 2025 Australian Office Occupier Survey states that 72% of Australian organisations planned to increase investment in space design and fit-outs over the next five years. Businesses are not just renewing the same lease, they are rethinking how much space they need, how it is configured, and what it needs to contain.
With 437,150 new businesses entering the Australian market in 2024-25 and 370,500 exiting, the ABS data reflects an economy where relocation and reconfiguration are constant features of business life. Whether it is a lease expiry, a team expansion, a consolidation, or a hybrid work redesign, an office move is one of the most operationally complex events a business manages outside its core function.
6 Key Considerations When Moving Office
1. Lease and Property Obligations at the Current Site
Before any planning for the new site begins, the obligations at the existing site need to be clear. Make-good requirements, notice periods, access for make-good works, sub-lease or assignment options, and the timeline for returning keys and handover all need to be confirmed in writing with the landlord or agent.
In the current Australian market, where Sydney CBD vacancy sits at 13.8% and Melbourne at 19.0%, incentive packages for lease renewals have been competitive. It is worth confirming that relocation is the right commercial decision before committing to it, particularly if make-good obligations at the existing site are substantial.
Key questions to resolve before leaving the current site: What are the exact make-good requirements under the lease? What is the notice period and has it been formally served? Who is responsible for disconnecting fixed infrastructure including data cabling, server rooms, and security systems? What items are landlord fixtures and what can be removed?
2. Space Planning and Layout at the New Site
The 2025 Australian Office Occupier Survey found that 53% of Australian employees are now in unassigned seating, compared with 30% in 2019, and that average desk density has dropped to 0.7 desks per employee. This data reflects the structural shift toward activity-based working and hybrid arrangements that is reshaping how Australian businesses configure their floor plates.
Space planning for a new office needs to account for this shift explicitly. How many desks are needed for peak occupancy, not for total headcount? How many dedicated focus spaces, collaborative zones, meeting rooms, and quiet rooms does the team’s work pattern actually require? Where does the kitchen and social space sit relative to the main work area?
The layout decision also determines the supply and furniture requirements for the new space. An activity-based office with predominantly unassigned seating requires a different mix of storage, locker, and personal stationery arrangements than a traditional assigned-desk layout. Getting the layout right before ordering furniture and supplies saves both money and a second round of procurement.
Space planning tip: Before ordering furniture or supplies for the new site, confirm the final floor plan and the number of workstations, meeting rooms, focus rooms, and communal areas. A COS account manager can help configure the right product quantities and categories based on the confirmed layout.
3. IT and Communications Infrastructure
IT and communications cutover is the single most common source of unplanned downtime in an office move. The business needs phone lines, internet connectivity, server access, and printing infrastructure to be operational from the first morning at the new address. In practice, this requires planning that starts weeks or months before the move, not days.
Key considerations for IT in a move: Is the new building fibre-ready, and if not, what is the lead time for connection? What is the plan for the server room or cloud migration if the business is using on-premises infrastructure? How will phones be handled during the transition period? Who is responsible for printer and copier relocation and reconnection? Are there desk or meeting room AV requirements that need to be specified before fit-out works begin?
Technology accessories, including cables, adapters, docking stations, monitors, and peripheral equipment, are often the last items on a move list and the first ones staff notice are missing on day one. Build a complete accessories inventory per workstation before the move rather than relying on staff to bring what they need.
4. Staff Communication and Change Management
An office move affects every staff member, and the quality of communication before, during, and after the move directly affects how quickly the team becomes productive in the new space. Poor communication creates anxiety about commute changes, parking, building access, and desk arrangements that distracts from work well before the move happens.
At minimum, staff should receive: the confirmed move date and any phased transition schedule well in advance; details of the new address, public transport access, parking, and building entry process; a clear plan for what they are responsible for packing and labelling at their current desk; and a point of contact for questions throughout the process.
For moves involving significant changes to seating arrangements, particularly transitions from assigned desks to activity-based working, additional change management is needed. Staff who are moving from a dedicated desk to a shared space need practical guidance on personal storage, locker allocation, and how to manage personal items in the new environment.
5. A Complete Inventory of What You Need to Be Operational on Day One
The most under planned aspect of an office move is the complete inventory of supplies, consumables, and equipment needed to make the new space functional from day one. The removalists handle what comes from the old site. What nobody plans for is everything the new space needs that was not at the old site, or that runs out in the first week because replenishment was not set up for the new address.
A complete operational inventory for a new office includes:
- Workstation supplies: notepads, pens, staplers, scissors, tape, and personal stationery for every desk
- Paper and printing: copy paper in sufficient volume for the first month, printer toner, and labels
- Meeting room supplies: whiteboard markers and erasers, notepads, pens, HDMI and USB-C cables, and any presentation accessories
- Kitchen and staffroom: coffee, tea, sugar, milk, dishwashing supplies, paper towels, and bin liners for every kitchen and breakout area
- Cleaning and hygiene: hand soap, hand sanitiser, surface wipes, and bathroom consumables for all bathrooms
- Safety and first aid: a fully stocked first aid kit compliant with the applicable state WHS regulations for the new site
- Technology accessories: power boards, cable management, monitor arms, docking stations, and any peripherals not coming from the old site
COS for moving office: COS supplies 40,000+ products across all of these categories and can configure a new-site opening order covering every category in a single purchase order. Your COS account manager can also update your delivery address and standing orders to the new site before move day, so replenishment continues without interruption.
6. Updating Supplier Arrangements for the New Location
Every supplier relationship the business has needs to know about the move. This includes the office supplies provider, cleaning and hygiene supplier, coffee and kitchen supplier, any managed print service, and any other recurring delivery service. Deliveries to the old address that the new tenant receives, or that are returned to sender because nobody updated the details, are a predictable and avoidable problem.
For businesses with a consolidated office supply account and standing orders, updating the delivery address with the account manager before the move is a single action that updates all future deliveries. For businesses managing multiple vendor relationships, this becomes a manual task for each supplier, which is another reason consolidation to a single preferred supplier pays dividends at move time.
Office Move Checklist: What to Action Before, During, and After
Use this checklist to ensure nothing is missed across the full move process.
Confirm lease obligations and commercial decision
Review make-good requirements, notice period, and sub-lease options at existing site. Confirm new lease terms, access dates, and fit-out works schedule. Appoint a move coordinator as the single point of accountability.
Finalise floor plan and space requirements
Confirm the number of workstations, meeting rooms, focus spaces, and communal areas. Map furniture and equipment requirements against the confirmed layout. Begin ordering long-lead items such as furniture.
Plan IT and communications cutover
Confirm internet connection, phone line, and server arrangements for the new site. Book IT provider for cutover day. Inventory all technology accessories needed per workstation and meeting room.
Communicate with staff
Send all-staff communication covering move date, new address, transport, parking, building entry, and what staff need to do to prepare their current desk. Confirm any change management support for activity-based working transitions.
Place the new-site opening supply order
Order all supplies needed to make the new office operational from day one: stationery, paper, kitchen, cleaning, safety, and technology accessories. Update delivery address with your COS account manager and all other supplier accounts.
Coordinate access, removalists, and IT
Confirm building access times for removalists and IT providers. Ensure all boxes are labelled with destination area and floor. Arrange for cleaning of the new site before staff arrive on day one.
Review and resolve gaps
Identify any supplies, equipment, or infrastructure that was missed in planning and resolve immediately. Update standing orders to the new address if not already done. Collect staff feedback on the new space and action any urgent items.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to consider when moving office?
The six key considerations are: lease and property obligations at the current site; space planning and layout at the new site; IT and communications infrastructure; staff communication and change management; a complete inventory of supplies and equipment needed to be operational from day one; and updating all supplier delivery arrangements to the new address. The most commonly overlooked area is the operational supply inventory: the stationery, paper, cleaning products, kitchen basics, safety kit, and technology accessories needed to make the new space functional from the first morning.
How far in advance should you start planning an office move?
For most Australian businesses, planning should begin at least eight weeks before the move date for a straightforward relocation, and twelve or more weeks for a move involving significant fit-out works. Lease notice periods often require longer lead times still.
What supplies does a new office need on day one?
A new office needs: workstation stationery for every desk; copy paper and printer toner for all printers; whiteboard markers, notepads, and AV accessories for every meeting room; coffee, tea, and kitchen basics for every staffroom; hand soap, cleaning products, and bathroom consumables for all bathrooms; a compliant first aid kit for the site; and technology accessories including power boards, cables, and docking stations for workstations.
What is the current state of the Australian office market?
The national CBD office vacancy rate reached 14.8% in January 2026, up from 14.3% in July 2025, with Sydney CBD at 13.8% and Melbourne CBD at 19.0%, according to Property Council of Australia and CBRE data. Office absorption reached 135,279 square metres in H2 2025, the highest H2 total since 2022, reflecting active consolidation and upgrade activity. At the same time, 72% of Australian organisations planned to increase investment in space design and fit-outs over the next five years, according to the 2025 Australian Office Occupier Survey, and 53% of employees were in unassigned seating in 2025 versus 30% in 2019.
How do you update supplier deliveries when you move office?
For businesses with a consolidated office supply account, contact your account manager before the move date and provide the new delivery address. They can update all standing orders and future deliveries to the new site in a single action. For businesses managing multiple vendor relationships, each supplier needs to be contacted individually. This is one of the reasons consolidating all office supply purchasing to a single preferred supplier with a dedicated account manager simplifies a move: one call updates all deliveries rather than five or six.
Is COS able to supply a new office site from day one?
Yes. COS is Australia’s largest family-owned office supplier, supplying 40,000+ products across stationery, paper, cleaning, kitchen, safety, technology accessories, and furniture to over 250,000 Australian customers. COS can configure a new-site opening order covering every category needed for day one, deliver to the new address, and update standing orders so regular consumables continue to arrive on schedule. COS has warehouses in every state and territory and provides next-day delivery across Australia.
From workstation stationery and copy paper to kitchen basics, cleaning supplies, and technology accessories, COS supplies 40,000+ products across every category your new office needs. One account. One delivery. Everything ready on move day.
