Office Removals Checklist: 12-Week Melbourne Plan and Costs
By Move Near Me team ·
Short answer: An office removals checklist for a small Melbourne office (up to 15 desks) starts 8–12 weeks out. Appoint one move coordinator, book your IT provider and both buildings’ lifts and loading docks early, and move on a weekend to avoid downtime. Then update your ABN details, and any ASIC company addresses, within 28 days.
How far in advance should you plan an office move?
Give a small office 8–12 weeks, starting as soon as you know your exit date. Your lease sets the real deadline, so work backwards from it.
There’s no single notice period for commercial leases. Check your lease for its notice, exit and make good terms, and confirm when you get the keys to the new premises. A few days’ overlap lets you move on a weekend without rushing. Lead time also covers what you don’t control: IT provider availability, internet connection and lift bookings.
Office removals checklist: 12 weeks to moving day
This office moving checklist suits offices of about 3–15 desks.
12 weeks out
- Appoint one move coordinator who can make decisions
- Check your lease’s notice, exit and make good clauses
- Book your IT provider and order internet and phone services for the new address
- Choose a move date, ideally a weekend
8 weeks out
- Draw a floor plan of the new office and number every desk and room
- Get removalist quotes with desk count, lifts and parking at both ends
- Start sorting files: archive, scan or securely destroy
4 weeks out
- Book lifts and loading docks at both buildings for the same window, and check allowed move hours
- Apply for a council parking permit if the truck can’t use a dock
- Count and order cartons
- Brief staff: move date, what they pack, what removalists handle
2 weeks out
- Book e-waste and furniture disposal
- Set up mail redirection; update website, signatures and invoices
- Agree the IT cutover plan: shutdown time, who boxes what, reconnection order
Week of the move
- Staff pack their desks and label cartons with name and new desk number
- Reconfirm lift, dock, parking and crew arrival time
- Back up data
Moving day
- Coordinator at the old office; a second person at the new office with the floor plan
- Check every room and storeroom before the truck leaves
- IT provider reconnects and tests before staff arrive
Week after
- Update ABR, ASIC, payroll tax, bank, insurer and Google Business Profile details
- Complete make good and return keys, fobs and access cards
Who does what in an office move?
Your business owns the plan, your IT provider owns the technology, building managers control access, and the removalist moves furniture and boxed equipment.
| Task | Your business | IT provider | Building manager | Removalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor plan and labels | Prepares | Loads and places by label | ||
| Packing desks and files | Staff pack own desks | Optional packing | ||
| Servers, network, phones | Disconnects, packs, reconnects | Moves once boxed | ||
| Computers, monitors, printers | Staff unplug if agreed | Advises or handles | Moves boxed equipment | |
| Lifts and loading docks | Books at both ends | Approves and sets hours | Protects lift, works the window | |
| Parking permit | Applies or asks council | Tells you truck size |
Move Near Me’s office removals Melbourne crews move desks, chairs, filing cabinets, meeting tables and boxed IT equipment. For packing help, see packing services Melbourne.
How much does an office move cost in Melbourne?
A weekend move for a small Melbourne office costs $551.25–$723.75 + GST for 4 desks (Saturday) and $1,362.50–$1,790 + GST for 12 desks (Sunday), based on our quote form estimates for the examples below.
Move Near Me bills office moves hourly, from crew arrival at the first address to the last item unloaded, plus a fixed 30-minute call-out (2-hour minimum, then 15-minute blocks). Move Near Me charges $105/hour for two removalists and a 4.5 t truck on weekdays, excluding GST. See also how much removalists cost in Melbourne.
Extras on top: lift booking $20 per address, stairs $30 per flight, difficult parking $25 per address, workstation disassembly $25 per item, cartons $4. Saturdays add $10/hour, Sundays $20/hour and public holidays $35/hour.
Worked example 1: small office, Richmond to Cremorne, Saturday
Four desks from Richmond to a Cremorne office with a booked lift, four workstations to take apart, Saturday 28 November 2026. Two removalists and a 4.5 t truck: $105 + $10 = $115/hour.
| Item | Calculation | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew and truck (incl. call-out) | 3.75–5.25 hrs × $115 | $431.25 | $603.75 |
| Lift booking (Cremorne) | 1 × $20 | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Workstation disassembly | 4 × $25 | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Total (ex GST) | $551.25 | $723.75 | |
| Total (inc GST) | $606.38 | $796.13 |
On a weekday (Wednesday 25 November) the form estimates $513.75–$671.25 + GST, so Saturday adds $37.50–$52.50 + GST.
Worked example 2: medium office, Box Hill to Mulgrave, Sunday
Twelve desks from a Box Hill office with a booked lift to a ground-floor Mulgrave unit, eight workstations to take apart and 60 cartons, Sunday 29 November 2026. Three removalists and an 8 t truck: $105 + $45 + $20 + $20 Sunday = $190/hour.
| Item | Calculation | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew and truck (incl. call-out) | 4.75–7 hrs × $190 | $902.50 | $1,330.00 |
| Lift booking (Box Hill) | 1 × $20 | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Workstation disassembly | 8 × $25 | $200.00 | $200.00 |
| Cartons | 60 × $4 | $240.00 | $240.00 |
| Total (ex GST) | $1,362.50 | $1,790.00 | |
| Total (inc GST) | $1,498.75 | $1,969.00 |
On a weekday the form estimates $1,267.50–$1,650 + GST, so Sunday adds $95–$140 + GST. Offices with 16 or more desks are quoted by hand after a walk-through or video call.
Can you move an office after hours or over the Christmas shutdown?
Yes. Evening and weekend moves keep downtime low, though weekend rates apply. A Friday evening or Saturday move leaves Sunday for IT to reconnect and test.
Public holidays add $35/hour. That includes Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday 3 November 2026), 25, 26 and 28 December 2026 and 1 January 2027, so a shutdown move on 27 or 29–31 December is charged at the normal Sunday or weekday rate. Check building managers are working those days.
What should you do with old files, furniture and computers?
Sort before you pack, but check record-keeping rules before shredding.
- Business records: the ATO says to keep records for at least 5 years from when prepared or obtained, or the transaction completed, whichever is later; it notes ASIC requires companies to keep records for 7 years.
- Personal information: if your business is covered by the Privacy Act, APP 11.2 requires reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information you no longer need, including copies and backups.
- Old computers and monitors: e-waste has been banned from landfill in Victoria since 1 July 2019. Wipe them and use an e-waste drop-off.
- Old furniture: sell, donate or book rubbish removal (from $90 per load). For desks you keep, see furniture disassembly and reassembly.
Do I need to update my ABN and ASIC details when my business moves?
Yes. Update your ABN details within 28 days of a change, and companies must notify ASIC of address changes within 28 days or a late fee applies.
- ABR: update your ABN details with your new physical street address; online updates take effect immediately
- ASIC (companies): change your company address, including the registered office if it’s moving
- SRO payroll tax: if you’re registered for Victorian payroll tax, update your addresses in PTX Express under “Update Your Records”
- Bank and insurer: tell both about the new premises
- Google Business Profile, clients and suppliers
Should staff help with the move?
Staff should pack their own desks and leave heavy and bulky items to the removalists. WorkSafe Victoria suggests a move coordinator, consulting staff and health and safety representatives, providing trolleys and not lifting excessive or awkward loads.
Employers must eliminate, or otherwise reduce, the risk from hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable. Our crew moves filing cabinets, desks, printers and other heavy items; safes and anything over about 100 kg add an $80 heavy-item fee on top of labour.
Office relocation checklist for Melbourne CBD buildings: lifts, docks and parking
Offices in the Melbourne CBD, Southbank and Docklands usually need a booked goods lift and loading dock at the same time window.
If there’s no suitable off-street parking, the City of Melbourne issues reserved parking permits for removalists. A bay is about 6 metres and a removal truck needs at least two. Permits aren’t issued in clearways, No Stopping, taxi or bus zones. Check the page for current fees and lead times. See also moving a Melbourne apartment.
FAQ
Q: How long does an office move take? Our quote form estimates 3.75–5.25 billable hours for a 4-desk office moving from Richmond to Cremorne with two removalists. A 12-desk office moving from Box Hill to Mulgrave with three removalists is estimated at 4.75–7 billable hours. Both include the 30-minute call-out.
Q: Who disconnects computers and servers when moving office? Your IT provider should disconnect, pack and reconnect servers and network equipment. Removalists move boxed computers, monitors and printers.
Q: What is make good, and do we have to do it before leaving? Make good is the work your lease requires to return the premises to an agreed condition, such as removing fit-out. Read the clause early, ask for an early inspection and get agreements in writing.
Q: Do removalists supply boxes for an office move? Yes. Move Near Me supplies cartons at $4 each, excluding GST. Ask staff how many they need per desk, then add cartons for filing, the kitchen and storerooms.
Planning a move for 3–15 desks? Get an instant office moving estimate or see our office removals Melbourne service.