Office Move-In Guide

Decommissioning & Old-Space Closeout

If there's an old office, don't let it become a forgotten project. It still has deadlines, return conditions, and costs.

working draft Updated Jun 3, 2026

Decommissioning & Old-Space Closeout

What this is

Everything required to hand back the old space: removing what must be removed, restoring required conditions, deciding what furniture and equipment to move, donate, or recycle, returning keys and access, and documenting condition at handoff. Applies only if you have an old space to surrender.

Why it matters

The new office is the exciting part, so the old one gets forgotten — and that’s expensive. The old space may still have a surrender date, restoration obligations, equipment to remove, and costs that keep running. Decommissioning isn’t “get everything out”; it’s fulfilling the obligations and documenting condition at handoff.

Who owns it

The workplace lead, working with the mover and any furniture/decommissioning vendor.

First 48-hour questions

  • Is there an old space to restore, clear, or surrender?
  • What must be removed under the lease?
  • What can be reused, donated, liquidated, recycled, or disposed of?
  • When is the landlord’s final walk?

What to confirm / set up

  • Move-out and lease-surrender dates, and any restoration obligations.
  • What furniture moves to the new space vs. gets donated/liquidated/recycled (track in the FF&E Inventory).
  • IT/security equipment to remove, and keys/access cards to return.
  • Final cleaning, the landlord final walk, and photo documentation of condition.

Opening-critical vs. can-wait

This one runs on a different clock than the opening — the surrender date, not opening day. It’s rarely opening-critical, but missing its deadlines is costly. Don’t let the new-office excitement push it off until it’s late.

Common misses

  • Old-space obligations are forgotten during the new-space opening.
  • Furniture removal is scheduled too late to meet the surrender date.
  • IT/security equipment is left behind.
  • No proof of condition at surrender, leading to disputed charges.

From open to great

This is mostly about the old space — but it still touches the new one’s greatness:

  • Reuse the good furniture — cheaper, more sustainable, and it carries a bit of your identity forward.
  • A clean, low-drama closeout frees time and budget for making the new office great instead of fighting the old lease.

Don’t let it drain the focus the new office deserves — give it owners and deadlines so it runs in the background. See Aim to Open Great.

Tools for this workstream

Terms you’ll hear

furniture, fixtures & equipment (FF&E) — what you’re moving, donating, or disposing of.