Short answer
Work backwards from move day: eight weeks out lock the buildings and the mover, four weeks out book windows and brief staff, two weeks out label everything and plan IT, one week out confirm every window, and on the day keep one decision-maker at each end. Downtime comes from what was not decided, not from what was not lifted.
Eight weeks out: decisions
- Confirm the move date with both landlords, including the hours each building allows.
- Ask both buildings what they require from the mover: certificate of insurance, elevator booking, dock booking, protection for floors and walls.
- Name one move coordinator on your side. One.
- Get written scopes from movers. Compare crew size, trucks and what is excluded, not just the price. Our guide to hiring commercial movers covers what to check.
- Decide what is not coming: furniture to sell, donate or remove as junk, files to archive or shred.
Six weeks out: the plan
- Floor plan for the new office with every desk and every printer numbered.
- IT plan: who disconnects, who reconnects, where the servers go and when the internet is live at the new address.
- Order boxes. We rent boxes to our clients for the move and take them back after, so you are not buying cardboard you have to get rid of.
- Tell customers and suppliers the new address and the date.
Four weeks out: bookings
- Book the mover, both elevators and both docks in writing.
- Book any specialists: IT movers, safe movers, art handlers, the copier lease company.
- Brief staff: what they pack, what the mover packs, the labelling system, the day they must have their desk clear.
- If anything needs to wait for the next lease, arrange storage now. We hold office contents with our partner Key Storage.
Two weeks out: labels
- One colour per department, one number per desk, a label on every box and every piece of furniture.
- Print the floor plan and pin it at the new office entrance and at the elevator.
- Pack the archive first, the things people use daily last.
- Confirm the elevator windows again. Buildings change their minds.
One week out
- Walk both floors with the mover's lead. Agree the order of loading: reception and IT first off the truck at the new end.
- Confirm parking for the trucks. In downtown Toronto, ask the building where a truck can stand and for how long.
- Pack a "first morning" kit: kettle, cups, paper, toner, the router, extension cords, a toolbox, cleaning supplies.
- Back up everything. Twice.
Move day
- One decision-maker at the old office, one at the new. Phones on.
- The crew protects the floors and elevators, loads in the agreed order, and drives.
- Nothing gets unpacked at the new end until the desk numbers match the floor plan.
The day after
- Walk both floors with the mover and sign off. Note anything damaged straight away.
- Return rented boxes as they empty.
- Update the address everywhere: Google Business Profile, invoices, insurance, the bank, your email signature.
The whole checklist assumes one thing: the mover quoted the crew size before you booked. On an office job that scope can be a flat rate if it is fixed and known. Either way, ask us for it in writing. We run office moves in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and the rest of the GTA.
Questions people ask
How long does an office move take?
A small office can move in a day; a floor with dozens of workstations usually takes a weekend so that Monday morning works. The building's elevator windows decide more than the lifting does.
Who packs the desks in an office move?
Staff pack their own desks into the boxes the mover provides, labelled with their desk number. The mover packs shared areas, files and equipment.
Do we need to be there on moving day?
One person from your side at each end, with the authority to make decisions, is enough. They should have the floor plan and the building contacts.
Can leftover furniture be removed on the same day?
Yes. CR Movers does junk removal with its own crew, so what is not moving can leave on the same visit.
