Preparing for an office relocation?
While preparing the new office can feel like an exciting opportunity to start fresh, it can come at the expense of preparing the old office for the final broom-sweep date. The result? You might face unexpected holdover penalties or other liabilities for staying beyond the commercial lease expiration date. Depending on your contract, those can be anywhere from 150% to 200% of your previous rent!
To stay on top of your transition timeline, try this checklist from the decommissioning experts at OLS.
Decommissioning timeline
Phase 1: Inventory Review | 6 to 9 Months Out
- Inventory assessment: Catalog all assets. Decide what moves, stays, or requires disposition.
- Categorize the next stage for your assets: resale, donation, or recycling. Further organize high-value items for phase 2.
- Team tip: Identify high-value resale items early to support accurate valuation and disposition planning.
Phase 2: Asset Valuation & Vendor Selection | 3 to 4 months out
- List Tier 1 brands (e.g., Herman Miller) for pre-owned furniture sales.
- Secure quotes for specialized projects such as low-voltage removal and signage extraction.
- For the furniture moving with you, start determining how you’ll get it out of your old office and to your new location.
Phase 3: Logistics | 1 month out
- Book the freight elevator for your scheduled move date. Compliance: Secure all Certificates of Insurance (COI) for vendors.
- Donations: Finalize schedules for non-profit pickups for assets you plan to donate
- Team tip: Lock in your crew dates now to avoid end-of-month surges and labor rate spikes.
Phase 4: Execution | 1 week out
- Complete final trash removal to meet "broom swept" lease standards.
- Complete any last-minute removals, including low-voltage cable removal from the ceiling plenum and repairs for physical damage.
- The finish line: Conduct the landlord walk-through to receive your final sign-off.
Running behind schedule? We can help you catch up.
Whether you’re clearing a single floor or planning a multi-building relocation, Office Liquidation Solutions serves as the single point of responsibility for planning, logistics, execution, and closeout. Known as the “easy button” for facility managers and brokers, OLS helps keep decommissioning projects coordinated, closeout-ready, and aligned with responsible material handling and landfill-diversion goals.
Learn more at OLSGoGreen.com
