Moving offices is one of those things that sounds straightforward until you’re actually doing it. Then you realise some servers need specialist handling, desks that won’t fit in the lift, and a landlord at the new building who forgot to mention the loading bay is only accessible before 7 am.
The moving company you choose can make this process bearable or turn it into a weeks-long headache. And the difference usually comes down to asking the right questions before you commit to anything.
How Much Commercial Experience Do They Have?
There’s a big gap between moving someone’s house and relocating a working office. Residential movers are used to sofas and wardrobes. Commercial movers need to understand that your server rack isn’t just a heavy metal box, and that the filing cabinets in accounts contain documents you’re legally required to keep secure.
Ask how long they’ve been doing commercial work specifically. Ask for examples. If they’ve mostly done house moves with the occasional small office, they might not be ready for the complexity of your setup.
Will They Give You References You Can Call?
Anyone can claim they’ve done brilliant work. The test is whether they’ll let you speak to previous clients. And not just any clients, but businesses that look something like yours.
If you’re moving a 30-person office with a lot of tech equipment, a reference from someone who moved a two-room consultancy isn’t going to tell you much. Ask for contacts at companies of a similar size or in a similar industry, then ring them. Find out what went well, what didn’t, and whether they’d use the same company again.
What Does Their Insurance Cover?
This is one of those questions people ask but don’t always dig into properly. The answer “yes, we’re fully insured” doesn’t mean much on its own.
You need to know what the policy covers, what the excess is, and whether there are exclusions. Electronics are often excluded or have limited coverage. So are items with a value over a certain threshold. If you’ve got expensive equipment or irreplaceable items, find out whether you need to arrange additional cover yourself. Get it in writing.
How Do They Handle the IT Kit?
For most businesses, the computers and servers matter more than the desks. A scratched table is annoying. A damaged server containing client data is a crisis.
Ask specifically how they deal with IT equipment. Do they have staff trained to disconnect and reconnect systems? Do they use anti-static packaging? Will they coordinate with your IT team or provider? Reputable office movers in London will have clear answers to these questions because they get asked them regularly. Vague responses are a red flag.
Can They Work Around Your Schedule?
Downtime costs money. If you’re a business that operates Monday to Friday, a move that drags into Tuesday means lost productivity and potentially lost revenue.
Some movers only work standard hours.
Others will do evenings and weekends for an additional fee. Some are flexible about phased moves, where different teams relocate on different days. Find out what’s possible and what it costs. A good moving company will want to understand your priorities before suggesting a schedule, not the other way around.
Do They Visit the Site Before Quoting?
Be wary of any company that offers you a firm price over the phone without seeing the space. There’s too much that can affect a commercial move: narrow corridors, awkward stairs, parking restrictions, buildings with listed status that limit what you can do and when.
A proper site survey lets the mover assess both locations and ask their own questions. It also gives you a chance to see how they operate. Do they seem thorough? Do they listen? Do they spot potential problems you hadn’t thought of? All useful information before you sign anything.
What’s Their Plan When Things Go Wrong?
Moves don’t always go smoothly. Lorries get stuck in traffic. Items get damaged. Someone packs something in the wrong box, and it ends up at the wrong site.
Ask what happens when problems occur. Is there a project manager on site with authority to make decisions? What’s the process for reporting damage? How quickly do they respond to issues? The companies worth hiring have systems for this. The ones making it up as they go along tend to reveal themselves when you push on these details.
The Point of All This
A good moving company won’t be annoyed by detailed questions. They’ll expect them. They know that a business relocation is trusting them with equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds, confidential data, and the continuity clients depend on.
The questions you ask before hiring tell you a lot. Not just about capability, but about how seriously they take the work. That matters more than a cheap quote.
