Warehouse Relocation Checklist – Be Ready For Your Move

Whether you’ve outgrown your current location or you wish to move closer to suppliers or customers, moving warehouses can prove to be problematic and time-consuming. If you don't have a relocation plan in place, relocating can become stressful.

We have created a warehouse relocation checklist that aims to make for successful warehouse moving.

Warehouse relocations - What needs to be done?

Wharehouse relocations -

There are a few things that need to be done to ensure your move goes as smoothly as possible.

You will need to:

• Schedule the move
• Check warehouse regulations and permits
• Change your address (and make sure you update it across all relevant platforms)
• Check your Make Good provisions
• Hire the correct resources

Schedule the move

There is never an ideal time to move warehouses. However, picking a suitable date and scheduling your move with staff and removalists is evidently, the most important step.

In most cases, reputable warehouse moving companies are booked out weeks in advance, so it’s important to schedule your move as early as possible.

When choosing your moving company, we advise you to:

• Get quotes from multiple companies
• Compare the pricing
• Find out if they are able to dispose of any excess equipment or machinery

You will also need to work out what your employees’ schedules will be during the move and inform them accordingly, as it is likely their schedules will have to change.

Check warehouse regulations and permits

You may need to obtain building permits or approvals to set up or make fit-out changes to the warehouse you are moving into. Contact your local council to find out about their specific requirements. Your local council will be able to tell you if you require a building or planning permit.

It is also important to ensure that emergency evacuation routes are taken into consideration when you are planning the layout of your warehouse.

Change your address and tell everyone

Once you’re established in your new location, it’s vital that everyone can find you. Begin contacting your clients and suppliers as soon as the lease is signed and the deposit is paid.

You will need to inform your customers and suppliers of:

• Where you are moving to
• When you are moving
• If this will affect them
  

You should allocate time to updating your:

• Supplier delivery address
• Staff email signatures
• Business directory listings
• Website
• Social media pages
• Business cards
• Google My Business listing

Also, ensure you arrange the transfer of your existing business number to your new premises. Make sure you contact your phone service provider to discuss this, as there may be some cases where your business number cannot be transferred.

Don’t forget about informing your utility companies and arranging any necessary postal services.

Check your Make Good provisions

Check your make good clause in your lease agreement before you remove any parts of the existing fit-out, as you may be required to return the warehouse to the original condition it was in when you entered the property.

In some cases, it may just be a matter of carrying out repairs or maintenance in order to make good. We encourage you to speak to your landlord, as they may be able to find a new tenant who will be happy with your fit-out. This avoids you having to remove it.

Allocate the right resources for the move

Businesses run more smoothly and efficiently with effective management and the right resources - your move is no different.

Make sure that you plan and allocate. This isn't only restricted to packing and moving resources, but also moving management time. Ensuring you have enough staff so that no important aspects of your moving process are missed is paramount for a successful move.

You may need to begin organising all the items to be moved weeks ahead. There will be some items or machinery which are fragile or need to be handled with care. These need to be packaged accordingly and identified for the removalists. Your staff will also need to decide which items are going to be thrown away or need to be recycled.

Make sure that you have qualified people moving your valuable equipment and that you have capable staff in place to oversee the move on the day. Your average removal company may not have the tools or equipment necessary to safely move your industrial equipment. This is why taking the time to find a qualified removals company with the expertise to match your requirements is extremely important.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to accurately estimate the time that it will take you to move. Things will inevitably go wrong and your moving times and costs will increase. However, you can mitigate these with effective management and contingency plans.

Warehouse Relocation Checklist

However big or small your warehouse space, our warehouse relocation checklist template will help you with your move. 

At uTenant, we can put you in touch with trusted businesses to help you relocate without the headaches. Get in touch if you need to discuss your move.