Quick answer
A business move usually needs three to four months of planning: securing the new site, fit-out, services, notifying customers and suppliers, and the move itself. Budget for more than rent or purchase price: fit-out, make-good at the old site, IT, signage, removalists and a period of paying for both premises. Companies must tell ASIC about address changes within 28 days, and ABN details must be updated within 28 days.
Key points
- Start planning three to four months before the move date
- Budget for overlap: two sites' costs for a period is common
- Make-good at the old premises can be a significant cost
- Update ASIC and ABN details within 28 days of the change
- If you're buying, align the purchase with the sale or lease end
Moving premises is one of the biggest projects a small or medium business takes on, and one of the easiest to underestimate. The rent or purchase price gets all the attention. The fit-out, the make-good, the IT, the downtime and the weeks of paying for two sites quietly add up behind it.
This guide gives you a working timeline, a cost checklist and a notification list, plus a section on funding the overlap if you’re buying new premises before the old ones are sold.
When should you start planning a move?
For most businesses, three to four months before the move date is a sensible minimum. If you’re buying the new premises, doing a significant fit-out, moving heavy or specialised equipment, or need council approvals, start earlier.
Here’s an illustrative 16-week plan:
| Weeks before move | Key tasks |
|---|---|
| 16–12 | Confirm requirements; shortlist sites; check zoning and permits; get finance conversations started |
| 12–10 | Secure the site (lease signed or contract exchanged); engage fit-out designer; check your old lease’s end and make-good terms |
| 10–6 | Fit-out works; order IT, phones and internet; plan signage; book removalists |
| 6–4 | Notify customers and suppliers; update insurers; arrange utilities |
| 4–2 | Confirm move-day plan; label and pack; test IT at the new site |
| Move week | Move, set up, test, open |
| After the move | Make-good at the old site; update ASIC, ABN and listings; final inspections |
Adjust the timing to your business. A café with a commercial kitchen has a very different critical path from an office-based consultancy.
What does a business move really cost?
Use this as a checklist. Not every item applies to every move, but most businesses are caught out by at least one.
The new site
- Deposit and purchase costs, or lease bond and advance rent.
- Transfer (stamp) duty if buying, set by the state revenue office.
- Legal and conveyancing fees.
- Building and pest inspections, surveys.
- Fit-out: design, construction, electrical, plumbing, data cabling.
- Furniture and equipment.
- Signage, internal and external.
- Council approvals or permits for change of use or signage.
The old site
- Make-good obligations under your lease, which can be substantial.
- Rent or loan costs until the lease ends or the sale settles.
- Cleaning and repairs before handover.
- Selling costs if you own it: agent, legals, marketing.
The move itself
- Removalists, specialist equipment movers, cranes.
- IT relocation and new connections.
- Downtime and lost sales during the move.
- Staff overtime.
- Replacing printed materials, vehicle signage and online listings.
The overlap
- A period of paying for both premises is common, especially when timings don’t line up.
Put a contingency on top. Fit-outs in particular have a habit of growing.
If buying the new site is part of the plan and the old one hasn’t sold yet, it’s worth talking through the funding overlap early, before contracts are signed.
Who do you need to notify?
The official ones come with deadlines:
- ASIC. If you’re a company and your registered office or principal place of business changes, ASIC says you must tell it within 28 days or a late fee applies. See ASIC’s page on changing a company address.
- Australian Business Register. The ABR says you must update your ABN details within 28 days of becoming aware of changes. Business.gov.au’s update your business details page lists other registrations that may need updating.
- Business name registration, if you have one, and any licences or permits tied to an address.
Then everyone else:
- Customers, with plenty of notice and a clear move date.
- Suppliers and delivery partners.
- Your bank and any lenders.
- Insurers, before the move, so cover transfers correctly.
- Utilities and telecommunications providers.
- Your website, Google Business Profile and other online listings.
- Your accountant and payroll provider.
Should you buy or lease the new premises?
It’s the biggest decision in the move. Business Victoria’s guide to buying business premises points out that buying is like buying a house: inspections, documents, finance and insurance, and that banks usually want a personal guarantee, which can put the family home at risk. Leasing keeps capital free and gives flexibility, but less control over the long term.
A few questions help:
- How long do you expect to stay?
- Would owning the premises free up cash later (no rent) or tie up cash now (deposit, duty)?
- Do you need to make changes to the building that a landlord wouldn’t allow?
- Could you rent out part of it?
If you own your current premises, there’s a second decision: sell first, or buy first? Our guide on whether to sell first or buy first walks through that choice.
How do you fund the overlap when buying before selling?
This is where many relocations run into trouble. You’ve found the right new premises, but most of your equity is in the old ones, which haven’t sold. Options include:
- Negotiating a long settlement on the new premises to line up with your sale.
- A deposit bridge to secure the new site, if only the deposit is the problem. See deposit bridging.
- A full bridging loan using both properties as security, repaid when the old premises sell. See buying before you sell.
The bridging calculator shows your peak debt while you own both, your end debt after the sale, and the term to ask for. The peak debt and end debt page explains the numbers.
An illustrative example
A commercial laundry has outgrown its leased site and buys a larger factory unit. Its lease ends in five months, and the new site needs electrical upgrades and drainage before machinery can be installed.
The owners plan backwards from the lease end: settlement on the new unit in month one, works in months two to four, machinery moved over a weekend in month four, and make-good at the old site in month five. They budget for one month of paying rent and loan costs at the same time, plus a contingency on the electrical work. On the move weekend, they run a reduced service from a partner laundry so key customers aren’t let down. (Illustrative scenario.)
How do you keep customers through the move?
A move is also a marketing moment. Customers who hear about it late, find the old site empty or can’t reach you on the phone may not come back. Some simple steps:
- Tell your best customers personally, before the general announcement.
- Put the new address everywhere early: email signatures, invoices, website, social profiles and your Google Business Profile.
- Keep your phone number if you can, and arrange call forwarding for the move period.
- Redirect mail and check delivery instructions with couriers and suppliers.
- Put signage at the old site pointing to the new one for a few weeks, if the landlord or buyer allows.
- Plan a reduced service rather than a full shutdown where possible, even if it’s only for key customers.
- Invite customers to see the new premises once you’re settled. A new site is a reason to reconnect.
The businesses that move well treat it as a project with a communications plan, not just a logistics exercise.
Get the new site, then make the move calmly
A well-planned move can set a business up for its next decade. If the timing of buying the new premises and selling or leaving the old ones doesn’t line up, let’s look at the options. The enquiry takes about 60 seconds, there’s no credit check when you first enquire, and your details aren’t shopped around to a stack of lenders. A real person reads it and calls you.
Please include both properties’ values, the loans on them and your key dates. Accurate figures let us map the overlap properly from the first call.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I plan a business relocation?
Three to four months is a sensible minimum for most small and medium businesses, and longer if you're buying premises, doing a major fit-out or moving specialised equipment.
What costs do businesses forget when moving premises?
Commonly make-good at the old site, overlap in rent or loan costs, IT and phone relocation, signage, new permits, downtime while you're moving, and updating printed materials and vehicles.
Who do I need to notify when my business moves?
Customers, suppliers, your bank, insurers, the ATO through your ABN details, ASIC if you're a company, licensing bodies, utilities, and online listings. Companies must tell ASIC about address changes within 28 days.
How long do I have to update my ABN details?
The Australian Business Register says you must update your details within 28 days of becoming aware of changes.
Should I buy or lease the new premises?
It depends on your capital, your plans for the business and the market. Buying gives control and a long-term asset, but ties up capital and usually needs finance. Leasing keeps capital free but gives less certainty over the long term.
How do I fund a move if my current premises haven't sold?
If you own your current premises and are buying new ones, a bridging loan can fund the purchase using both properties as security, with the sale of the old premises repaying it.