Commercial and office removals
Office relocation quotes: what does a move cost?
Nobody can tell you without seeing both buildings. A 40-desk move from a ground floor with a loading bay and a Saturday slot is a different job from the fourth floor, one goods lift and a 6pm curfew.
8 drivers
things a commercial mover prices at survey, and desk count is only the first
Unlimited fine
for taking waste away without a waste carrier registration
What actually drives an office relocation price
Last updated
Office moves are priced from a site survey, not from a table, because two moves with identical desk counts can price very differently on access alone. These are the eight things a commercial mover is pricing, why each one moves the number, and what to make sure is written into the quote.
We publish no price range for an office relocation because we cannot publish one honestly: the job is priced per building, on volume, access, hours and scope, and any figure we printed would be wrong for most readers. The hourly rates movers publish are in our price index. This table lists the drivers a commercial mover surveys and prices, and what to pin down in writing so quotes are comparable. Use the form above to get real numbers for your own move.
| Driver | Why it moves the price | What to ask for in the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount and volume | Desk count sets crew size, vehicle movements and days on site. Storage rooms, print rooms, archives and comms cupboards add volume that desk count alone hides. | A price built on a surveyed volume, not on a desk count taken over the phone. |
| IT, comms and servers | Decommissioning, transporting and recommissioning a comms room is a specialist line and often the item that decides whether the move happens over one night or one weekend. | Who disconnects and reconnects, who is liable if a server does not come back up, and whether IT is in the removal price or a separate contractor. |
| Out-of-hours and weekend working | Most office moves happen outside trading hours so nobody loses a working day. Evening, weekend and bank holiday crews cost more per hour than a weekday crew. | Which hours the price assumes, and what changes if the landlord only permits a Saturday. |
| Building access at both ends | Goods lift size and booking slots, loading bay access, stair carries, distance from the vehicle to the lift, permits and timed city centre access all change how many hours the same volume takes. | A survey of both buildings before the price is fixed, and a stated assumption about lift availability. |
| Crate hire and packing | Crates are hired by the unit and by the week, and the hire clock runs from delivery to collection, not from move day. | Crate quantity, the hire period included, and the cost per extra week if the new fit-out slips. |
| Storage between leases | Lease dates rarely line up. Storage is charged per container or per square foot per week, with handling in and out charged separately. | Whether handling in and out is included, and the notice period for taking goods out of store. |
| Furniture disposal or reuse | Old furniture is business waste. It has to leave on a waste transfer note with a registered carrier, and resale or charity routes take longer to arrange but can offset cost. | The carrier registration number, a copy of the waste transfer note, and whether resale value is credited back to you. |
| Dilapidations at the outgoing building | Making good at the end of a lease is a separate obligation to your landlord, priced by building surveyors, not by your remover. It routinely costs more than the move itself and is the item most often discovered late. | Confirmation of what the mover does and does not strip out, so the dilapidations schedule and the removal quote do not both assume the other one is doing it. |
- There is no reliable published price for an office relocation, because the hours on site are set by lift access, permitted working hours and how much of the IT the mover is touching, none of which a price per desk can capture.
- Building access is usually the single biggest swing in an office removal price, because a shared goods lift with a booking slot decides how fast a fixed volume can physically leave the building.
- For each load of non-hazardous waste leaving your premises you need a waste transfer note or a document with the same information, and both businesses must keep a copy for 2 years (gov.uk).
Cite this page
“What actually drives an office relocation price”, Office Relocation Quotes, https://officerelocationquotes.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-15). We publish no price range for an office relocation because we cannot publish one honestly: the job is priced per building, on volume, access, hours and scope, and any figure we printed would be wrong for most readers. The hourly rates movers publish are in our price index. This table lists the drivers a commercial mover surveys and prices, and what to pin down in writing so quotes are comparable. Use the form above to get real numbers for your own move.
Related guides
Sourced, dated, kept current.
Office moving costs: why movers publish an hourly rate, not a price
Office moves are priced from a survey, not a table. The eight drivers that set the number, four questions that make quotes comparable, and the traps in a cheap price.
IT office move: servers, comms rooms and who is liable
Moving IT and comms is the part of an office relocation most likely to go wrong on Monday morning. What to scope, what to sequence, and what to get in writing.
Office furniture disposal and clearance: the rules and the paperwork
Old desks, chairs, cabling and IT leaving an office are business waste. Duty of care, waste transfer notes, checking a carrier's registration, and the reuse routes.
Office relocation checklist: the order an office move happens
A commercial move runs on lead times, not on a to-do list. What to do at six months, three months, one month and move week, and what quietly blocks everything else.
How it works
- Tell us the shape of the move: desks, buildings, access, timing. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass it to commercial removal firms covering your postcode, and to nobody else.
- They call you, usually book a site survey, and quote your actual job. Compare, choose, or walk away.
Office Relocation Quotes is a free introduction service; we pass your details to relevant commercial removal firms who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not a removal firm, we are not affiliated with the Environment Agency, the Information Commissioner's Office or any government body, and nothing here is legal advice. We publish no price range for office relocation because the job is priced from a survey of your own buildings.
Frequently asked
How much does an office relocation cost in the UK?
It is priced from a survey, not a table. Volume, access at both buildings, out-of-hours working, IT scope, and crate hire, storage and disposal all move the number. That is why this site publishes the drivers instead of a range, with the hourly rates movers publish under office moving costs.
How do I get office removal quotes I can compare?
Ask every mover to quote against a survey of both buildings. Write the same inventory, working hours and scope for IT, crates, clearance and insurance into each office move quote. A price given without a survey is a guess, and the differences between quotes usually sit in what each one left out.
Why will nobody give me a price over the phone?
Because the hours on site are set by things you cannot see over the phone. Lift size and booking rules, carry distance, loading bay access, permitted working hours, and how much of the fit-out has to be dismantled. Any firm that prices without a survey is pricing its assumptions.
Do I need to use a registered waste carrier for office clearance?
Yes. GOV.UK requires you to check that your waste carrier is registered and to complete a waste transfer note for each load of waste leaving your premises. You must keep a copy for 2 years. Operating as an unregistered carrier can attract an unlimited fine.
Should the office move happen at a weekend?
Usually, because it avoids losing a working day, and often because the landlord permits it only outside trading hours. Weekend and evening crews cost more per hour, so get the hours assumption written into the quote rather than discovered later.
Is dilapidations part of the removal quote?
No. Making good the outgoing building to the standard in your lease is a separate obligation, priced by building surveyors and fit-out contractors. Get it assessed early and make sure the removal scope and the dilapidations scope do not each assume the other covers stripping out.
Sources
This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:
- The Office Move Compliance Costs carries 6 published figures read from 6 sources' own pages, from 12.50 to 191.02 GBP, read 10 November 2026.
- The Office Move Price Index carries 11 published figures read from 11 sources' own pages; the 7 published figures given without a breakdown run from 30 to 80 GBP, read 11 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, dispose of business or commercial waste
- GOV.UK, waste transfer notes
- GOV.UK, register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer
- Environment Agency, public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers
- GOV.UK, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): how to classify
- ICO, a guide to data security
- GOV.UK, file changes to a company with Companies House