Moving into a new office can be exhausting. Whether it’s the initial search, the constant deadlines or keeping your team in the loop, very few of us are prepared for just how time-consuming the whole thing can be.
You might be ready to start your search, or perhaps you’re planning an office move in the future. Regardless, you’ll almost certainly have had one thought:
How long does all of this actually take?
Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all timeline for moving offices – because every business will have different team sizes and preferences. But that being said, there are some rough guidelines for each office option that will hopefully help you understand the time you’ll need to move from A to B. So, here we go.
Moving into a serviced office
Moving into a serviced office is a relatively quick process when compared with a leased office (think of renting a house versus buying one!)
The variable here is how long the search process takes, and that will largely depend on the criteria you set and how flexible you are. For example, if you are tied to a specific location and have a large team, it may be challenging to find the right serviced office straight away. However, if you’re a small team and open to different locations, the search process could be as short as a couple of days.
Once you’ve found the right spot, all you’ll need to worry about is getting your team there as the space will already be furnished and ready to use. This is because you’ll pay a monthly fee to the serviced provider who will manage the day-to-day running of the office, such as the cleaning and maintenance.
Typical time taken: 2 Months
Moving into a managed office
A managed office provides tenants with the opportunity to have more control over their own workspace, with allowances made for changes to the design and layout of the office. Unlike serviced offices, businesses can have their name on the front door, and tailor the space to suit the needs of their team.
With this in mind, the timeline for moving into a managed office will depend on the scale of the fit-out (a business looking to move 100 employees will need more time than one with a team of 20), and the provider you choose to go with. However, you can usually expect the whole process to take between four to six months. Here’s a rough timeline for moving into a Kitt managed space:
You’ll need around four to six weeks to scout the market, make your shortlist and get the offer down on the space that’s right for your team. Then, you’ll likely need another couple of weeks to sort out the legals but in the meantime, you can begin the design process (the fun bit!) which usually takes between four to eight weeks.
Once all that’s done, you can expect a build time of around 10-12 weeks depending on how you’ve chosen to fit out the space, and how much work needs to be done to the existing layout.
Typical time taken: 4-6 months
Moving into a leased office
Although managed and conventional lease options are similar in the control given to tenants to design and fit out the space, this option will require greater planning and allocated time as you’ll be doing everything yourself.
You’ll be project managing the build itself (unless you use a design and build company), so you can expect the delivery time to be 16+ weeks in most cases to factor in time for sourcing and negotiating.
This type of move can be complex, but is usually worth the time as term lengths on a conventional lease are usually greater than those of a managed and serviced solution – which suits businesses with a more stable outlook.
Typical Time Taken: 6-12 months
At Kitt, we work with you throughout the whole journey. As a managed office provider we help you find, design and build the perfect space for your business and work as an extension of your team once you’re in the door, allowing you and your team to continue thriving.
If you’re ready to learn more about how a managed office solution could work for your business, get in touch with the team or find out more over on our How Kitt Works page.
