The Move Doesn't End at the Door: Closing Old Access on a UK Office Relocation

Moving office has a way of swallowing a fortnight. There are boxes to label, broadband to book, a landlord to chase and at least one person insisting the filing cabinet can be carried down three flights. Security tends to come last, if it comes at all. That is the problem. A move does not just change your postcode. It redistributes access. Old keys stay in pockets. Old alarm codes stay in someone's phone notes. The cleaner still has a fob. The former landlord still has a set of keys labelled with your company name. None of that closes itself.

This is not a full relocation project plan. It is a forty-five-minute sweep you can run in the final week, plus a short follow-up once the van has gone. The aim is simple: close the old doors before you get comfortable behind the new ones.

Start with the keys, fobs and codes

Get every key, access card and fob back before people disappear into the new building. Not a verbal promise. A list. Write down who has what, then tick it off as it comes back. If someone has left the company, their old fob is still a live credential until you cancel it. If the building uses a managed access system, ask the landlord or facilities team to remove your old suite from the system on the day you hand back the keys.

Alarm codes are the quiet one. A shared alarm code can survive for years after the person who knew it has moved on. Change it on the last day, or ask the alarm company to do it for you. If you are leaving a serviced office, confirm in writing that your alarm user has been deleted, not just that the door code has changed. The same goes for any cleaner or contractor who held a key. Cancel the contract, collect the key, and keep a note of when it happened.

Post still arrives at the old place

Royal Mail redirection is the obvious step, but it is not the whole job. Redirection covers letters sent through Royal Mail. It does not stop a courier dropping a parcel at the old reception, and it does not update the address on your invoices. For the first few months, assume something important will still land at the old office: a bank letter, a tax notice, a supplier statement, a cheque. Sensitive post sitting in an empty building is a small but real data protection problem.

Set up redirection for at least six months, and tell the old landlord or building manager what to do with anything that arrives after that. Update your website, email signatures, invoices and any online accounts that hold your registered address. Tell your bank, your accountant and your main suppliers. If you are a limited company, check the address held at Companies House. It is one of the easiest things to forget and one of the most visible when it is wrong.

Broadband, alarms and the handover gap

Broadband moves are rarely as smooth as the sales page suggests. There is often a gap where the old line stays active longer than expected, or the new line is live before you have tested it. Do not leave your old router behind. Take it with you or return it according to the contract. If your old office had a phone system, make sure your numbers have either moved or been cancelled properly. A phone line that still rings in an empty office is not a security incident, but it is a sign that nobody has checked the handover.

Alarms deserve the same attention. If you have a monitored alarm, tell the provider the date you are leaving and the date the new system goes live. Test the new alarm before the first full day of work, not after. If the new office has a shared entry system, ask how visitors are buzzed in and who controls the list. Do not reuse old alarm codes in the new place. A fresh start is a good excuse for fresh codes.

The kit that should not make the journey

Moves are a wonderful opportunity to discover equipment nobody has used since the last move. Old PCs, printers, shredders and boxes of cables. The danger is not the clutter. It is the data. Hard drives, printer memory and even some old photocopiers can hold information you would not want left in a skip. If you are disposing of kit, use a proper wipe or destruction service, and keep a simple record of what went where. If you are donating it, wipe it first. If you are not sure, do not leave it on the pavement with a note saying free to a good home.

Suppliers, insurers and the paper trail

Tell your insurer about the move before you go. New address, new locks, new alarm, any changes to the building. If you leave it until renewal, you may find the policy has been sitting with the wrong details for months. Tell your suppliers and clients too. Update delivery addresses and any standing instructions. If you hold a certification, check whether the certification body needs to know about the new site. It is a dull email, but it is cheaper than a gap in cover or a surprised assessor.

The first week in the new office

Once you are in, do a short walkaround. Check that the locks work, the alarm is set correctly, the entry phone does what it should and the guest Wi-Fi is not just the old office password. Issue keys and fobs from a written list, not from memory. Brief the team on where visitors wait and who lets them in. It is easy to be so relieved the move is over that you forget the new place has its own doors to close.

The old office will stop being yours the moment you hand back the keys. Make sure the access has stopped too.