It’s an exciting time! Your business is growing so you need more space to work. But there are some things you should do before the big day arrives to make sure everything goes smoothly, and if it doesn’t, that you’re prepared for any situation.

Undergoing an office strip out is inevitable for a tenant with a unique office space. This makes preparing for such a move, removal and strip out of fixtures and installations extremely important for tenants looking to easily transition to the bare bones of their office which can turn expensive quickly.

Before you engage with the professional removalists, here are some ways you can prepare.

Assessing the current condition of your office space, fixtures and installations will give removalists or service providers a better idea of the expectations needed for this job/strip out. Consider what you need to have done, as well as what you want to have done, and communicate this to all people involved.

Creating a timeline is key in making sure everyone who needs to be aware of the move is on the same page. This includes employees, management and removalists/service providers. Having this document handy will help avoid any stressful situations down the line and keep things on track.

Cleaning and decluttering is the most obvious step when preparing for an office strip out, but is often the most overlooked. Many people think it will be easy and take no time at all, when really, it is the exact opposite.

Cleaning and decluttering involves getting rid of any unnecessary paperwork, clearing out desks and cabinets, and organizing anything that will be staying in the office post-strip out.

To make things more manageable, have a good storage and packing system in place. Use labels for items and on boxes, colour code if you need to. This will help when putting things back together again as it can get confusing if something isn’t labelled properly – especially if there’s more than one person working on the job.

Have plenty of bubble wrap or newspaper ready for your disposal too, you’ll need it!

It’s important to know what needs to be moved and where it will go. This can help avoid confusion on the day or having items forgotten about which could end up costing a lot more in the long run.

If you’re planning on hiring movers, make sure they are aware of anything that might not be obvious such as items being kept under floor boards/in cupboards so that nothing is missed during the move.

Communication is key! For expectations to be met, these expectations must be thoroughly communicated to the team involved. Office strip outs require all hands on deck, as the new office will benefit everyone, everyone should lend a helping hand during this stage too.

Create a spreadsheet with tasks and allocate them to each team member, so you can efficiently keep track of what has been done and what is still left to do. Sorting out paperwork especially is important, you don’t want any files going missing.

If there are specific time frames for each task, communicate these clearly between the team so the office strip runs smoothly.

The best way to be prepared for anything is by having a backup plan (or two). This could involve having alternative workspace ready for employees in case things go wrong on the day of the move, or having contingency funds set aside just in case something unexpected comes up.

It’s important to get approval from the appropriate people before starting any office strip out. Usually this will involve the building manager, building owner, the local council, other tenants, or similar.

Gaining approval could involve getting signatures on a document, sending out letters or even arranging a meeting with all interested parties. A CDC is a common requirement for a strip out.

When planning an office strip out, the project will need to meet local building regulations under the Council’s guidelines. If they do not meet the Council’s guidelines, you might not be able to operate commercial business on the property.

By communicating with all relevant parties you’re ensuring that everyone is aware of what’s happening, you have all stakeholders ticked off on your project, and there are no surprises down the line.

This is an important safety measure to take before any work begins. By shutting off the electricity and covering air-conditioning units, you’re preventing any accidents from happening.

You will often need to consult the building manager about this and have a plan in place for when it will be scheduled, so as not to disrupt any other tenants in the building.

Employing a reputable office and commercial strip out provider is essential. 1300 Rubbish provides services for furniture removal, office strip outs, electronic waste recycling, data destruction, and rubbish removal.

Whether it is commercial strip outs, an internal strip, or a complete strip, 1300 Rubbish are skilled professionals who can provide an obligation free quote before the project commences.

The benefits of a strip out removalist company include:

• GOOD OPERATIONS: Leaving the strip out to the experts, so you can carry on as much business as usual as possible
• EFFICIENCY: Experts know what they’re doing, they can get the job done efficiently and faster than if you were to organise it yourself
• WASTE MANAGEMENT: They handle waste management too – no need to worry about how to dispose of the excess rubbish your red bins can’t handle!