Moving business premises: your service change checklist

Twelve to eight weeks out: establish connectivity

Check what the exact new unit can receive, not merely what is advertised for the postcode. Confirm the address, unit number and existing connection. A building with fibre nearby does not necessarily have a usable service installed in your space, and another tenant's connection may be a separate arrangement.

Ask whether a site survey, construction, internal cabling or landlord permission is required. A wayleave or access agreement can be a dependency outside the provider's installation team. Identify who can approve it and whether the lease permits the required work before choosing a planned opening date.

List the systems that rely on connectivity: card payments, cloud software, phones, bookings, CCTV and remote access. Discuss a contingency appropriate to the actual location and workload. Mobile backup needs coverage and capacity checks at the premises; it should not be assumed to support every normal operation.

Get the order reference, dependencies and next update date. Keep provisional installation dates separate from confirmed completion. If the service is essential to opening, include an explicit readiness check in the move plan rather than treating an order acknowledgement as proof the connection will work.

Eight to six weeks out: plan phones and numbers

List every number and the service that holds it. Include main numbers, direct dial ranges and lines used by alarms, lifts or other equipment. Ask the gaining provider which numbers can transfer, what authorisation it needs and how the move affects address and emergency-calling information.

Arrange number porting before ceasing the service that currently holds the number. Cancelling first can complicate the transfer and risk interruption. Do not assume that keeping the number and moving the broadband are one order, even where the same company supplies both.

The analogue phone network retirement deadline is 31 January 2027. A premises move involving legacy lines should include a migration plan for affected equipment. Read the PSTN switch-off guide and ask the equipment maintainer about compatibility, power and testing.

Build a call test into the cutover: inbound calls, outbound presentation, extensions and agreed routing. Confirm how emergency location information is maintained. Use the provider's approved test process; do not make a non-emergency call to the emergency services simply to test an installation.

Six to four weeks out: establish energy responsibility

Check whether energy is included in the lease and whether the business will contract directly for each supply. Find the current suppliers using the official lookup routes: for electricity, identify the network operator and ask it; for gas, use the industry supplier lookup service. The landlord's recollection can help but should be checked against current supply records.

In Great Britain, taking supply without an expressly agreed contract can create a deemed contract with the incumbent supplier. Responsibility can arise when the business takes occupation or otherwise becomes the relevant customer; it does not necessarily wait for the first invoice or public opening. Establish the facts and seek advice if responsibility is disputed.

Notify the supplier at the old premises and provide the proposed change date and evidence. Ofgem's change-of-tenancy guidance identifies documents such as a lease, sale documents or title deeds. It describes a ten-working-day document-review expectation, including a decision or a request for specific further information. That is not a guarantee that every dispute will be resolved in that time.

Ask how both accounts will be recorded, what readings are required and whether any contract or broker termination charge is claimed. Our ended-contract guide explains the distinction between deemed and other arrangements. Do not assume the old supply contract simply follows you to a new address.

Four to two weeks out: update insurance before the move

Tell the insurance specialist about the new premises before occupation and before moving stock or equipment. The building, activities, construction, security and surrounding risks can affect the insurer's decision and terms. Provide the actual details rather than changing only the postal address in an account portal.

Explain any overlap where both sites are occupied, and any period when the old site is empty. Ask about stock in transit, removal arrangements, temporary storage and who insures hired or financed equipment. A policy covering goods at the old address does not automatically explain every stage of the move.

Check lease obligations as well as your own policy. The landlord may insure the building while the business insures contents, improvements or other interests. Get the relevant evidence and ask what needs changing. Do not assume a landlord's certificate covers the business's interruption or equipment.

Read the duty of fair presentation guide and retain the insurer's written acceptance of changes. Confirm the effective dates and any requirements to complete before cover applies. The move timetable should reflect those conditions rather than expecting the policy to be corrected retrospectively.

Two weeks out: banking, records and signalling services

Update the relevant registered and trading addresses through the proper processes. Companies House, HMRC, the bank and other account providers do not all receive an automatic update from one notification. A registered office and a trading premises can be different, so change the information that actually applies.

Check the card terminal and merchant-services arrangement, delivery address for replacement equipment, statement correspondence and account security contacts. If a provider requests evidence, send it through its approved secure route. A move can coincide with due-diligence checks, so keep the lease and business records accessible.

Identify alarms, lift phones, entry systems and remote monitoring that depend on an old line or connection. Co-ordinate the maintainer and telecoms provider, with testing at the new premises where relevant. Removing a router or cancelling a line without checking attached systems can create an operational or safety problem.

Tell customers and suppliers through established channels and update invoices and delivery instructions. Changes to payment details deserve a separate verification process; a premises move should not be used as a reason to bypass normal fraud controls. Keep old correspondence accessible while records catch up.

Moving week: gather evidence and prove the services

Photograph closing and opening meter readings safely, including meter serial numbers and all relevant registers. Keep the date and time, the address and the person taking the reading. Send readings through each supplier's stated route and retain acknowledgement rather than assuming a photograph alone updates the account.

Keep handover evidence for keys, occupation and the end of the old tenancy. These documents can help work out which business was responsible for a period of supply. Do not discard the lease after moving boxes into the new unit; it may be needed when the final bill arrives.

Test connectivity, payments, phones and agreed monitoring functions before treating the new site as operational. Record failures and contact the responsible provider with the order reference. Keep a practical contingency for essential work while problems are addressed, using only arrangements appropriate to the systems and location.

Avoid cancelling the old service until you have checked the new one and understood the old contract's notice and charging terms. An overlap may have a cost, but an unplanned gap can also affect trading. The decision needs actual contract information and operational readiness, not a generic promise of an uninterrupted move.

After the move: close the remaining obligations

Review final bills and confirm the closing readings, dates and account holder. If the lease at the old premises has not ended, the business may retain responsibilities even after physically leaving. Energy liability depends on the legal and factual arrangement; obtain advice where the landlord, supplier or another occupier disputes it.

You do not automatically inherit a previous tenant's energy debt simply by moving into the premises as a different customer. Provide evidence of the change and ask for the correct account to be established. Situations involving the same legal customer, a business acquisition or an agreed assumption of liabilities require a separate assessment.

Check broker engagement terms for any charge arising when the old supply agreement ends early. The broker's contract can be distinct from the supplier's. Ask for the basis and calculation of any claimed termination charge and use the appropriate complaints route if it was not properly explained.

Return hired equipment through the agreed process and keep proof. Reconcile credits, deposits and overlapping service periods. Close the move register only when each provider has confirmed the final position or the unresolved issue has a named owner and next action.

What to do next

Put actual target dates beside these suggested planning windows and update them as dependencies are confirmed:

Before closing the move file, confirm:

• Each new service has passed its agreed checks.
• Old accounts have final bills or a recorded dispute.
• Returned equipment has a receipt.
• Insurance and address changes are documented.

Use one checklist owner to track dependencies, while keeping each provider's responsibilities clear. For introductions across energy and broadband and phones, have the new premises details and existing contract dates available. CostQuote introduces one named specialist partner per category and identifies that partner before sending details; it does not manage or guarantee the move.