Arranging cleaning cover for an office move

The clean before you leave the old office

Your lease may require the old office to be left clean, and a landlord's inspection can lead to charges if it is not. Read the lease and book a thorough clean after the last furniture leaves.

Focus on what inspections check: carpets, kitchens, washrooms, walls and windows. Take dated photos when the clean is finished, in case questions come up later.

Agree with the landlord or managing agent when the inspection will happen, and try to be present. Questions raised on the day are much easier to resolve than a list of charges that arrives weeks later.

• Lease requirements read in advance
• A thorough clean after furniture leaves
• Dated photos when it is finished

Builders' dust after a fit-out

If the new office has been fitted out, expect fine dust on every surface, including the inside of cupboards and the tops of doors. A builders' clean is usually needed before furniture and people move in.

Ask the fit-out contractor what cleaning they include. Some leave the space broom-clean only, and the detailed work is left to you.

• A builders' clean before moving in
• Dust inside cupboards and on high ledges
• What the contractor's clean includes

The first week in the new office

The first week brings packaging, boxes and more dust as furniture is assembled and equipment unpacked. Book extra cleaning for that week, even if the regular routine will be lighter.

Use the week to see how the new space is used: which kitchens are busiest, which washrooms get the most traffic and where people actually sit.

• Extra cleaning in the first week
• Packaging and boxes cleared daily
• Notes on how the space is used

Waste and recycling during the move

Moves create far more waste than usual: cardboard, old furniture, paper and electrical equipment. Arrange extra collections and decide where waste is stored until it goes.

Confidential paper needs its own process. Make sure it goes into secure bags or bins and is not mixed with general recycling.

Check whether your building has rules about where waste can be left and when it can be moved through shared areas. Lifts and loading bays are often booked in advance during a move.

• Extra waste collections booked
• A storage point for waste
• Confidential paper kept separate

Keys and access in both buildings

During the move, cleaners may need access to both buildings at once. List who holds keys and fobs for each, and how they are collected and returned.

Tell building managers and security at both sites when cleaners will be working, especially outside normal hours.

• Keys and fobs listed for both sites
• Collection and return agreed
• Building managers told in advance

Agree the new routine

After the first week, agree the regular routine for the new office: days, times, tasks and who checks the work. It may differ from the old routine, because the space and the way people use it are different.

Write the routine down and share it with the cleaner and your office manager, so everyone works from the same plan.

• Days, times and tasks agreed
• A named person who checks the work
• The routine written down and shared

Questions

Do I need to clean the old office before I leave?

Often, yes. Check the lease; many require the premises to be left clean, and charges can follow a poor inspection.

What is a builders' clean?

A detailed clean after building or fit-out work, removing fine dust from every surface before people move in.

Why book extra cleaning in the first week?

Unpacking creates packaging, boxes and dust, and the first week shows how the new space is really used.

How should confidential paper be handled during a move?

In secure bags or bins, kept separate from general recycling.

Related guides

• How to write a cleaning specification for your premises
• How to brief a temporary cleaner on their first shift
• Building an office cleaning schedule for a hybrid office