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Makan Al Najah

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Planning a fit-out around an office move

An office move has a fixed end date: the old lease expires. The fit-out programme works backwards from it.

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Open office floor with workstations, glass partitions and a suspended ceiling

When a business moves, two leases overlap and two programmes run together: the fit-out of the new space and the exit from the old one. The move date is usually fixed by the old lease, and everything else — design, landlord approval, construction, IT installation and furniture delivery — has to fit before it.

Element pages explain one part of a larger renovation in detail: what is being chosen, what the installation involves, and where the cost and time usually sit.

The common risk is the approval stage. Landlord and authority reviews take time, and design changes after submission restart them. Fixing the layout early, submitting complete drawings and ordering long-lead items such as furniture and specialist glazing in parallel gives the programme some resilience.

What matters most on this page

  • Work back from the move date

    Old lease expiry sets the deadline; every stage is planned back from it.

  • Approvals early

    Complete submissions and a frozen layout keep reviews from restarting.

  • IT and furniture in parallel

    Long-lead items are ordered while construction runs.

Workstreams in a relocation

  • Design and approval

    Layout, drawings and submissions to the landlord and authorities.

  • Construction

    Partitions, ceilings, services and finishes in the new space.

  • Move

    IT installation and testing, furniture delivery, and the physical move.

Before the fit-out starts

  • Confirm both lease dates

    Access date to the new space and exit date from the old.

  • Freeze the layout

    Changes after submission cost time.

  • Book IT and furniture

    Lead times often decide the move date more than construction.

Questions we are often asked

How early should we start planning?

As soon as the new lease is being negotiated. Fit-out periods and approvals affect the lease terms.

Can we move in before everything is finished?

Sometimes, with phased handover, if the building and authorities allow partial occupation.

Who handles the old office?

Often a separate reinstatement scope, depending on the old lease.

What usually decides the move date in practice?

Approvals and long-lead items more often than construction. Tracking both from the first week keeps the date realistic.

Related guides

Start from commercial fit-out, browse the guides, or see all renovation and fit-out services. We work on homes and commercial premises across Dubai.

Tell us about the property

Tell us which room, which element and what is being replaced. We will confirm the measurements and the sequence that follows.

Next step

Build the programme back from your move date

Tell us your lease dates and the size of the new space. We will set out a fit-out programme that fits the move.

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