Relocating a business is a monumental task that involves far more than just packing boxes and setting up a new server room. For most commercial tenants, the most stressful element of a move is the “overlap” period—the window of time where you are legally responsible for two different spaces.
Successfully managing this transition requires a dual-track project management approach: one focused on the growth and setup of your new headquarters, and the other focused on the forensic dismantling of your old one. Integrating your makegood works into the relocation timeline is the only way to avoid the “holdover rent” trap, where a delay in the strip out results in you paying premium rent for an empty office you no longer need.
Book a meeting with Makegoods today.
Why timing is the most critical factor in your makegood
In the world of commercial real estate, time is quite literally money. Most leases include a clause stating that if the premises are not returned in the agreed-upon condition by the final day of the term, the tenant may be liable for “holdover rent,” often charged at a significantly higher rate than your standard monthly payment.
This makes the timing of your makegood works the most critical variable in your relocation strategy. By treating the strip out as an essential phase of the move rather than a post-script, you ensure that the physical labour is completed, the site is cleaned, and the final inspection is signed off before your legal right to the space expires.
Coordinating your move-out and your strip out
The most efficient relocation timelines utilise a “seamless transition” model. This involves scheduling your professional movers to vacate the premises on a Friday, allowing your strip out team to commence the demolition at dawn on Monday morning.
This coordination prevents “dead days” where the office sits empty but the makegood hasn’t started. Managing this requires clear communication between your relocation manager and your strip out contractor to ensure there is no crossover between the moving trucks and the demolition skips.
- Furniture liquidation: Arrange for the sale or donation of unwanted furniture at least 14 days before the move-out date.
- IT decommissioning: Ensure all sensitive hardware and server racks are migrated to the new site 48 hours before the strip out begins to avoid dust contamination.
- Site clearance: The office should be completely “broom clean” of personal effects before the contractor takes possession of the site.
Mapping out the administrative lead times
Beyond the physical labor of tearing down partitions and lifting carpets, there is a significant administrative tail that many tenants fail to account for. In regions like NSW, securing a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) or navigating building-specific fire safety protocols can take weeks of back-and-forth with consultants and certifiers.
These “hidden” lead times must be baked into your project management plan early on. If you wait until you have moved into your new office to start the paperwork for the old one, you have already lost the battle against the clock.
- Permit applications: Start the CDC process at least 6–8 weeks before your lease ends.
- Service isolations: Provide building management with at least 72 hours’ notice for any fire sprinkler or electrical isolations.
- Contractor inductions: Ensure your strip out team has submitted their safe work method statements (SWMS) to the building manager well in advance of the start date.
Managing the overlap between two leases
Financial efficiency during a move is defined by how well you shrink the window of “double rent.” While some overlap is necessary to ensure a smooth transition for your staff, an unmanaged makegood can blow this window wide open.
Effective project management involves identifying the minimum viable time needed for the strip out and scheduling it to run concurrently with your new office fit-out. This requires a high level of oversight to ensure that resources aren’t being stretched too thin and that the exit from the old space is being treated with the same urgency as the entry into the new one.
Establishing milestones for a successful handover
A successful relocation timeline is built on a series of non-negotiable milestones. By breaking the project down into 12-week, 8-week, and 4-week increments, you can identify potential delays before they become critical failures. The goal is to create a “reverse calendar” that starts at the lease expiry date and works backward to the present day.
- 12 weeks out: Finalise the makegood scope of work and appoint a licensed contractor.
- 8 weeks out: Secure all necessary building and planning approvals (CDC).
- 4 weeks out: Confirm the exact move-out date and coordinate dock access with both the old and new building managers.
- 1 week out: Complete the physical strip out and conduct a preliminary walk-through to catch any snags.
Building in a buffer for the final inspection
The final milestone of any relocation is the handover inspection with the landlord or their representative. One of the most important tips for any tenant is to finish the physical work at least 3 to 5 business days before the lease expires.
This buffer is your insurance policy. If the landlord identifies a missed item—such as a specific fire sensor that wasn’t reinstated or a patch of flooring that isn’t up to standard—you still have the time and the legal access to the building to fix it. Without this buffer, those small “snag list” items can lead to a formal dispute or the withholding of your security bond.
Book a meeting with Makegoods today
We work with commercial tenants to ensure a smooth end-of-lease process. At Makegoods, our team has extensive experience providing high-quality strip out and relocation services, ensuring our clients always receive their security bond back. If you need assistance when vacating your office, we’re here to help.