What To Do With Spare Office Furniture in Kansas City
Companies’ office space requirements frequently change. When your business grows, you need more space for office chairs, conference tables, and office desks. If your business is moving to more remote work, you might need a smaller office, or no office at all.
When you no longer need an office space for business, it needs to be decommissioned. This is the term used for returning your old office space to its original condition, ready to turn it back to the property owner.
In this guide, we’ll outline a step-by-step process for decommissioning your office.
Check Your Lease
The lease you signed with the property manager should outline the decommissioning requirements for your space. There may be specific office furniture, devices, or machines listed that must be included and in perfect order. All other office furniture and equipment need to be removed.
If your lease doesn’t include any specifics about decommissioning, the property owner may still wish for you to return the office to its original state. It’s time to meet with the property manager to get the specifics.
Meet with the Property Manager
You’ll need to discuss your decommissioning plans with the property manager. Hopefully, you took photos of the office space when you moved in, as this can help prove the condition the office was in and the equipment that was supplied.
Allow the property manager to tour the office as it is and highlight any issues they have with the space. They may ask you to repair any property damage that occurred during your stay. Assuming the requests are legitimate and reasonable, you must make these repairs.
Now is the time to task the property manager about any requirements for moving out, such as supplying them with the insurance information for the moving company you’re hiring, adding padding to the elevator, and other issues.
Take an Inventory of Assets, Including Office Furniture
Make an inventory of all company assets that need to be moved or removed. This includes office furniture, computers, phones, files, servers, and equipment.
For each of these assets, decide whether it’s best to keep them, sell them, or destroy them. Re-using assets is great if they’re of benefit to your business, but this can be the perfect time to modernize parts of your business and get rid of assets that offer marginal benefits. Used office furniture still has value, so don’t decide to simply throw it away!
Create a Timeline for Decommissioning the Office
Decommissioning an office can be disruptive to your workforce. Renting two office spaces at the same time is expensive, so for both these reasons, it’s smart to try and minimize the amount of time it takes to decommission your office. Build a timeline for the process so the number of disruptive days is kept to a bare minimum.
You’ll need to coordinate with contractors and third parties so they know exactly when to come. If you have an office in Kansas City, there are several office removal companies available to assist.
Inform the property manager of your decommissioning timeline, including when you will be completely vacated from the property.
Liquidate your Used Office Furniture in Kansas City
Audit your old furniture assets. Does it make sense to keep them, or buy new furniture for your new location?
If you no longer need your office furniture, you can sell it to a third party. Some companies that sell new and used office furniture in Kansas City are willing to pick up the furniture for you and give you a fair price – like Santa Fe Office Interiors. Our service can significantly cut down on the complexity of unloading the office furniture and equipment you no longer need.
Disconnect Cabling and Relevant Services
Phone lines and DSL connections that you installed need to be disconnected. All electronic equipment supplied by the property manager should be switched off. If you installed any equipment yourself, it’ll need to be removed unless you have a specific agreement with the property manager.
Remove Signage and Printed Materials
Budget time for removing your company signage and printed materials from the walls. Consider whether you’ll need to touch up any paint that has been damaged from wear and tear.
Think about how you’ll move your paper files to your new offices, or whether they can be digitized. If you no longer need the paper versions, you’ll need to budget time to shred the old files.
Implement the Decommissioning Plan
Make sure everyone involved in the decommissioning of the office knows what is required of them and when they must do it. If staff are moving to a new office or will be working from home, be precise about the dates and times that each part of the plan will be implemented. Double-check with third parties that they will arrive on time to move or liquidate assets.
All that’s left is to go through each of the steps in your plan. When complete, get the sign-off from the property manager, and enjoy your new working environment.
Buy New and Used Office Furniture from Santa Fe Office Interiors
When you arrive in your new workspace, you might find that you need something else in the office – and Santa Fe Office Interiors can help.
With a selection of brand-new and used office furniture from the top manufacturers, our showroom and team will help you outfit your space. Visit us at 8106 Santa Fe Drive.