Offices move over the holidays. The next 30 days are when to ask for the job

By Steven Von · 2026-10-25 · 4 min read

Small offices like to move when nobody is working, and that means late December. A 30-day plan for a moving company to book year-end office moves now.

Your residential calendar slows down after Thanksgiving. The offices in your town are about to do the opposite. Dentists, law firms, insurance agencies and small tech companies like to move when nobody is working, and for many of them that means the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Those moves are planned now. An office manager picking a mover for December 27 is getting quotes in late October and November. If you have never asked for commercial work, the next 30 days are a good time to start.

Why year-end office moves are worth chasing

• They fill your slowest week. The days around the holidays are thin for residential moves. An office job on December 27 or 28 is pure gain.
• The tickets are larger. A small office move often takes a bigger crew and more hours than a two-bedroom apartment. Pricing varies widely by market, but a modest office can run several thousand dollars.
• They repeat and refer. Office managers talk to each other, and businesses grow and move again.

Week one: build your list

You do not need a fancy database. Start with three sources:

1. Leases ending December 31. Commercial real estate brokers in your area know which tenants are relocating. Call two or three brokers and ask: "Do you have any tenants moving at year-end who still need a mover?" Brokers want their tenants' moves to go smoothly. A reliable mover makes them look good.
2. New buildings and renovations. Look for new office buildings, medical buildings or remodels finishing in your area. Signs out front usually name the leasing agent.
3. Your own customers. Look through past residential customers for anyone who owns a business or manages an office. A short text often turns up a job.

Week two: make a commercial page and profile update

Office managers check whether you do commercial work before they call. Make it obvious.

• Add a commercial or office moving page to your website. Cover what you move (desks, files, IT equipment, medical or dental equipment if you handle it), whether you work nights and weekends, and that you carry the insurance certificates building managers ask for. The website guide covers the other pages you need.
• Add "Office moving" or "Commercial moving" as a service on your Google Business Profile, and check whether a secondary category fits. Our earlier post on single-category profiles explains why this matters.
• Post on your profile: "Booking year-end office moves now. Weekend and holiday-week dates available. We handle building certificates of insurance."

Week three: reach out directly

Send a short email or letter to 20 to 40 offices on your list. Keep it brief:

"Hi [name], I'm [your name] with [company]. If your office is moving around the end of the year, we still have holiday-week dates, including evenings and weekends so you don't lose a workday. We provide certificates of insurance for your building, label and map every room, and set desks back up so your team can work on day one. I'd be glad to do a walk-through and send a written quote."

Follow up once by phone a week later. One follow-up is fine. Three is a nuisance.

Then post the same message to brokers you spoke with, so they can forward it.

Week four: walk-throughs and quotes

Office moves should be quoted in person or by a detailed video walk-through, not from a form. On the walk-through, ask:

• What date and hours does the building allow moves? Many require after-hours moves and elevator reservations.
• Who handles IT disconnect and reconnect? Most movers do not, so say so clearly.
• Are there files, safes or equipment needing special handling?
• What has to be working on the first morning?

Send a written quote within one business day. The pricing guide covers how to present options. For offices, a basic package and a full-service package that includes packing and labeling usually work well.

Reviews matter here too

Office managers check reviews just like homeowners, and they are careful because a botched move is their problem on Monday morning. The median moving company in our data has 30 Google reviews and the top 10% have 427 or more. The average rating is 4.4, and 18.6% of movers sit below 4 stars. A profile with a handful of reviews that mention "office" or "commercial" stands out fast. After each office move, ask the office manager for one. The review guide has the wording, and the benchmark report shows where you sit.

Answer the phone in December

Office managers call during business hours and expect someone to pick up. If you are on a job and miss the call, they move to the next mover on the list. A missed-call text-back helps, and the calculator shows what one lost office job is worth to you.

The short version

Office moves cluster at year-end, and they are booked in the next 30 days. Call a few brokers, add a commercial page and profile service, email 20 to 40 offices, and quote fast from a walk-through.

If you want the commercial page and outreach emails set up for you, the free 14-day trial covers any one service, no card: text or call (385) 396-5586.

Steven Von, Editor
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, moving companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor