The thought of having to move your office and the knots start to twist in your stomach. You don’t have to keep thinking of it as a nightmare. It can actually be a smooth process.

The challenges of relocating a business in West London are set. The traffic can set the office move back weeks. However, thousands of companies move in West London every year and survive the challenges.

Reasons for Moving Offices in West London

Companies relocate in West London for numerous reasons. You may have outgrown the office space in Hammersmith and need a bigger office space somewhere in Chiswick. Moving from an expensive office in Kensington to an affordable office space in Ealing is considered downsizing. Some businesses expand and move to a more posh office space in Notting Hill.

Whatever your reason, relocating your office is a common headache. Moving everything from your old office to a new office is a nuisance for everyone no matter the reason for your move.

The West London Factor

Office relocation is different for West London than it is for other parts of the capital. For example, there are severe parking restrictions and many of the nearby side streets of Shepherd’s Bush and Acton are extremely difficult to navigate as they are busy during the removal process. Also, removal requests to different councils need to be addressed a long time in advance as the process is very time consuming and the councils have different procedures.

West London is home to many offices that have been converted into spaces for market Victorian buildings as well as contemporary buildings that have shared structures. In these types of buildings, there is a need to collaborate with management to reserve the use of the lift that is shared with other tenants and to avoid moving during peak hours that other tenants may be annoyed by the move. Most commercial tenants expect the moving to be done during off peak hours, so that may mean very late night and early morning moves.

Getting Your Team On Board

Of course, as with any large change, there will be a lot of questions. Is the new office location far? How long will the new commute be? Will I have a desk by a window? Is there a Pret nearby? A change in the office creates a change in routine that people will resist.

Explain everything in detail so there is no confusion about what is being packed or moved professionally and what employees need to pack. For example, let employees pack boxes and provide them with labels and markers so they can customize their own desks. The last thing you need is about 20 people moving to new desks to avoid more confusion.

Tech Disruptions

If you want to know what the most problematic aspect is, it is most definitely the end-of-office displacement puzzle. Regardless of position, most people can agree on the mess IT equipment can create. Disconnecting and packing computers, servers, phones, printers, and everything else that needs to be moved is one of the most daunting jobs out there. Just as daunting is the job of reconnecting everything so it all works just right.



This is the greatest chance of disaster on the moving day. The IT part of the new office, if you don’t have a complete IT department, is where it can fall apart quickly and where your staff can easily ruin everything. If your sales staff are in a position to reconnect the office network, all you can do is sit back and wait for chaos to ensue.

What Really Helps on Moving Day

A big factor in how smooth your move goes comes down to how well you prepared; I know, boring answer but it’s true. If you are able to, start your planning months in advance. Get removal quotes from companies that actually specialise in West London office removals, I promise you they will know the access and parking issues that come with the territory.

Be specific on the labels. Instead of “Box 1” write “Marketing Team – Sarah’s Desk – 2nd Floor New Office” and the like. This saves the team valuable time on moving day to figure out in which box that ‘marketing team’ goes.

Your team will be unhappy if there is no way to make a cup of tea in the office. Make sure you pack the essentials box with tea, coffee, toilet roll, and mugs.

The Reality Check

If things like the internet are taking longer than expected to set up, don’t be surprised if your first week in the new office is somehow the busiest week of the year, just know it will be disordered. If you have an important deadline approaching, you better hope things will come in order as time adds on.

Once you’re finished settling in, most companies realize the disruption was worth it. New office space usually brings new energy. It’s great to overcome challenges together, and it can help to bond the team. Prepare well so that you can clear the most chaos.