Removing Furniture

Choosing an experienced commercial remover.

These costs can vary outside the ranges given. For example:

if system furniture requires dismantling.
if lifts are not available and stairs have to be used.
if there is a long carry from office to vehicles or vice versa.

MOVE SEQUENCE
Moving Day Minus 2 Months:

Consider provision of services e.g. telephone at new offices

Moving Day Minus 1 Month:

Notify customers and suppliers of change of address.
Remember also Inland Revenue, insurance companies, professional advisers, DVLC. Arrange redirection of mail and telephone calls.
Check lifts are in working order - arrange for standby lift engineers to be present during move.

Moving Day Minus 3 Weeks:

Assess extent of dismantling and re-assembly of furniture etc.
Confirm deliveries of new items or services to new premises
With remover, estimate crate requirements and how long you will require to have them on hire
Within your company determine responsibility for packing
Schedule any moves before the main move
Discuss with remover the best access routes to new and old buildings

Moving Day Minus 2 Weeks:

Brief departmental heads - assign responsibilities
Agree who is to remove "fixtures" such as boards, paintings etc.
Review security procedures and any ID system at both premises
Memo all employees with packing instructions and details of the move
Finalise plan for new offices and colour code all furniture layouts
Issue instructions for keeping keys of desks and filing cabinets with them

Moving Day Minus 1 Week:

Begin labeling of all items to go with colours corresponding to new layout coding system
Check accesses and parking for removal vehicles will be clear
Inform police of changes in names of keyholders

Moving Day Minus 1 Day:

Check all files, drawers, cabinets and safes are empty
Check everything going has been labeled

Moving Day:

Meet foreman/supervisor and briefly summarise and agree procedures and sequences
Establish communication between old and new buildings
Check remover installs any necessary building protection materials
Ensure someone is present at both sites to
1. check everything in and out
2. place furniture in correct new positions
3. effect security

As anyone who has done it will testify, moving offices is invariably more traumatic than moving house. And, if moving personnel calls for careful planning; so does the moving of expensive furniture and equipment - not to mention the files and records essential to the smooth running of most businesses.

One important factor in lessening the stress of the move itself - and the possibility of items being broken, going missing or simply not turning up when promised - is to enlist the help of an experienced firm of commercial removers.

It is a good idea to look for a removal firm up to three months in advance of the event - so that the selected firm is able to provide input into the planning process.

Choosing a remover
If this is a first-time exercise, it is tempting to turn to Yellow Pages or the local Thompson's Directory which will yield a long list under the "Removal and Storage - Business & Industrial" classification. However, be fore-warned; the best and the worst firms may take full page advertisements - or just quarter columns.

Look for a firm which has been established for several years; consider its track record. Ask for references from companies by whom they have been employed recently - check them out.

Another guide to the level of service and the competence of respective firms is their method of providing a quote. Expect a full survey covering every aspect of the move. Or, even better, a firm that will appoint a project manager to plan the move including the allocation of staff, vehicles, storage, the provision of crates and other equipment.

In addition it is worth asking whether the company is becoming - or already is - registered under BS 5750.

Many companies prefer to move over a week-end; or overnight. Make sure that your firm is prepared to be flexible and prepared to start early and finish late.

And, special equipment may be needed - cages, hoists or even cranes. Check that the remover is able to make them available and that its vehicles are equipped with tail-lifts and telephones.

Do not forget those essential packing crates. The firm should be reliable about delivery beforehand and collection afterwards. Does it have its own crate-hire facilities ?

How much should it cost?
The following provides a few examples of cost. However, the figures provide a rough guide only. Every move is different. Assume remover does not dismantle and reassemble furniture, work stations and screens. That each employee packs the contents of their own office. All costs exclude VAT and insurance.

NO. OF PERSONNEL	DISTANCE	REMOVAL COST
4	30 Miles	£350 To £500
10	200 Miles	£1000 To £1,500
50	80 Miles	£4,000 To £6,000
100	40 Miles	£8,000 To £12,000
400	2 Miles	£30,000 To £38,000

The guide to available London offices to rent, Central London office space to let and for sale and serviced offices
London Office Guide, Gordon House, 6 Lissenden Gardens, London NW5
For futher information: info@london-office-guide.co.uk

The London Office Guide is useful to help tenants find London office space to rent, London offices to let, central London offices to rent and both serviced offices and commercial property space. In addition to helping find London offices to rent and central London office space to let, it is useful for finding London serviced office space and business centres, London agent surveyors and information on the London office markets. Finding office space to let in London can be daunting. The right office space to rent in London is critical for many companies and if they don't find the right London office space to let their business and staff may be affected. Office space in London and London office property to rent can be expensive so companies need to shop around as much as possible. Overall, the London Office Guide is the most useful website and publication to help tenants find London office properties to let and central London commercial space. Especially office space in central London which includes City office space, Midtown offices and West End office space.

Included in the City of London are the postcodes EC1, EC2, EC3, and EC4. On the City fringe are London E1, London N1, London SE1, the southeastern part of London E2 and the southern part of London N7. London E14 includes office space to let in Canary Wharf and offices to rent in London Docklands. It is a separate office market but it competes for many of the same type of tenants the City does. Office space to let in London EC1 includes the areas of Clerkenwell, Smithfield and Farringdon which are east of Farringdon Road. Many media and hi-tech companies find these areas appealing. Offices to let in London EC2 include the areas around the Bank of England and Stock Exchange. Banks and financial companies of course prefer London office space in this postcode. Offices to rent in London EC3 include the area around Fenchurch Street and Eastcheap. Traditional home of insurance companies. Office space to let in London EC4 east of New Bridge Street include the areas around St. Paul's, Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations. London office space to rent is less expensive in the fringe postcodes. However, there is high quality London office space to let in London E1 around Spitalfields, Shoreditch and St. Katharine's. There is also new high quality offices to rent in London SE1 along the southbank and new office space to let in London N1 around King's Cross. There is also a range of inexpensive offices to rent around Angel and Old Street in London N1. Offices to let in London Docklands are mostly modern and the Canary Wharf office space to let is some of the best in all of Europe.

London Midtown is the area between the City and the West End. It is all of London WC1 and London WC2. It also contains London EC1 west of Farringdon Road and London EC4 west of New Bridge Street. Office space to let in London WC1 include offices to rent around Holborn and office space to let in Bloomsbury and also king's Cross. Offices to rent in London WC2 include Covent Garden office space to let and offices to rent around Leicester Square and the Strand. The Midtown office market is divided by Kingsway. Midtown office space to let east of Kingsway competes more with the City. Midtown offices to rent west of Kingsway tend to compete with the West End. Covent Garden offices to rent compete mostly with Soho office space while Bloomsbury offices for rent compete with office space in the West End north of Oxford Street.

The central or core West End of London office market comprises mainly London W1 office space to let. It also contains St James's offices to rent which is London SW1. London W1 offices to rent are in three geographical parts of the postcode. Mayfair, Soho and north of Oxford Street. Mayfair is the south west part of the London W1. Mayfair office space to let is some of the most expensive in the world. Soho is the south east part of London W1. Soho offices to rent have traditionally appealed to advertising and media companies. London W1 north of Oxford Street is divided into several office markets. There is office space to let in Noho which is immediately north of Soho. Soho office space to let is more expensive though. North of Noho are offices to rent in Fitzrovia which is the north east part of London W1. London W1 west of Portland Place is the remaining office market north of Oxford Street. It comprises mostly period office properties converted from residential.

The Greater West End of London includes offices to let in all of London NW1 and part of London NW8 to the north. To the south it includes almost all of London SW1, part of London SW8 and part of London SE11. To the south west all of London SW5, London SW6, London SW7, London SW10 and parts of London SW11, London SW15 and London SW18. To the west all of London W2, London W6, London W8, London W9, London W10, London W11, London W12 and London W14. Office space to let in London NW1 and London NW8 are offices to rent in Camden, Euston and Marylebone. Office space to let in London SW1 includes offices to rent in London Victoria, Belgravia, Millbank, Westminster, and Whitehall. In London SW8 and London SE11 are offices to let in Battersea and office space to rent in Vauxhall. In the south west there is office space to let in Chelsea, Fulham, Earls Court, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Putney and Wandsworth. The office space to let in London SW11 also includes parts of Battersea. The Knightsbridge office space to let is expensive. Knightsbridge offices to rent compete with Mayfair. To the west there is office space to let in Paddington, Hammersmith, Bayswater, Kensington and West Kensington. There is Hammersmith office space to let in London W6 and Hammersmith offices to rent in London W12. London W14 office space to rent comprises mostly West Kensington.

In some cases serviced offices in central London or business centres in London might be more appropriate for some companies. London serviced office space is ideal for smaller companies. Serviced offices in London are usually available month to month and include furniture and services as well as the space. There is a range of London serviced office space available. From expensive prestige buildings to basic economical space. Before trying to find office space in London and especially central London office property to rent, tenants should refer to the London Office Guide.