How Long Does It Take to Find a New Office in the UK?

Most UK office moves take around three months from starting the search to the first morning in the new space, though it can be done faster and it can easily take twice as long. Knowing where the time actually goes is the easiest way to keep it short.

A typical twelve week timeline

Weeks 1 and 2: define your requirements and search the market. This is where a broker earns their fee, because a whole market search in days beats weeks of portal scrolling and mystery emails.

Weeks 3 to 5: viewings and shortlisting. Plan to see five or six spaces in one or two days rather than trickling viewings over a month.

Weeks 6 to 8: negotiate and sign. Heads of terms, legal review and references are where deals stall, so agree the commercial points in writing before lawyers get involved.

Weeks 9 to 12: fit out, connectivity, insurance and the physical move. Serviced space needs almost none of this, which is why a serviced move can compress the whole timeline to four or five weeks.

What speeds it up

A clear brief: headcount, budget, location and move date agreed internally before you start. Half of all delays come from the brief changing halfway through the search.

One decision maker with authority to commit. Committees add weeks at every stage. And a shortlist viewed quickly beats a long list viewed slowly; momentum is worth more than perfect information.

What slows it down

Landlord delays on legal paperwork, fit out lead times on furniture and cabling, and notice periods on your current premises. Check your exit date first, because everything else has to fit inside it.

Dilapidations on the old office can also bite at the end of the process, so get the exit obligations clear early rather than discovering them in week eleven.

How we compress the timeline

We search the whole UK market and come back with a tailored shortlist within 48 hours, then handle the market side of the negotiation while you focus on the move. Our 12 week relocation checklist walks you through the rest, week by week. The operator pays our fee, so the search is completely free.