Articles / Market research
What slows down an office move in Malta?
Plan the work between your first brief, lease agreement and office handover.
Edition
Build a move timeline from dependencies
- Confirm headcount, budget and move date before shortlisting.
- Check floor plans, access and fit-out during viewings.
- Confirm costs, permitted use and landlord works before committing.
- Coordinate legal review, IT installation and handover with named owners and agreed dates.
Common sources of delay
A fitted or serviced space may still need internet provisioning or access setup. A shell space may require design, contractor availability and sign-off before occupation. Track each dependency separately. This is a planning checklist; measured lead-time benchmarks would need dated records from completed moves.
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Give the search a decision date
Agree who can approve the budget, location and final offer before the search starts. Give everyone the same brief and identify any requirements that would rule out an office. Set a date for the shortlist decision and allow time for a second viewing if needed. This is especially helpful when several teams need to assess the same site. Keep a reserve option available while the lead property is still subject to checks and negotiation.
Confirm the unit early
A listing may show an entire building while the available unit is one floor or one suite. Confirm the reference, floor and expected handover condition before inviting a wider team to view. Ask for the floor plan and written asking terms. Use the first visit to check access, services, noise and the layout. For a large team, involve someone who can assess IT, accessibility and fit-out implications before the property is shortlisted for approval.
Record what could hold up the lease
After agreeing the broad commercial terms, list the points that still need approval or evidence. These can include the handover specification, costs, permitted use, access for works and any third-party consents. Give each open point an owner and a due date. Ask advisers to identify which issues can be checked in parallel. Keep a short record of decisions so a change to an earlier assumption is visible to everyone working on the move.
Put the building and IT on one schedule
Coordinate connectivity, access control, cabling, furniture delivery and any commissioning with the building manager. Find out when installers can enter, how large deliveries reach the unit, and who needs advance notice. Order any long-lead items once the necessary commitments are in place. Allow time to test systems before the first working day. If the incoming team handles customer calls or sensitive data, include a test of the actual work setup before handover.
Plan the overlap with your current office
Check notice dates, reinstatement requirements and the earliest date you can leave. Use a calendar to show the outgoing and incoming commitments together. A few days of overlap can give staff time to test the new space, while a longer overlap affects the move budget. If dates are tight, identify what work can happen remotely or in temporary space. Agree a fallback for anything that would prevent staff from working on day one.
Capture dates for future move benchmarks
Record the dates of the first brief, shortlist, first viewing, agreed heads of terms, lease signing, access for works and actual occupation. Note the reason for any significant gap and whether it was within the tenant’s control. Keep conventional, fitted and serviced moves separate when analysing the records. For a published dataset, define the start and end points, describe the sample and avoid releasing dates or details that could identify confidential client transactions.
Hold a handover check before day one
Confirm keys, access passes, building rules, meter readings and the agreed condition before the team arrives. Test the internet and check that meeting rooms, cooling and essential equipment work as intended. Keep a list of outstanding items, who owns each fix and when it is due. Share practical arrival instructions with staff, including entrances and visitor procedures. Separating minor snagging from issues that block occupation helps everyone prioritise the final work.
Give the team a short weekly update
During the move, circulate the target date, the tasks that could change it, and the decisions needed that week. Use named owners and evidence rather than broad status labels. When a task slips, record its impact on occupation and the decision needed to recover time. After the move, compare planned dates with actual dates. This makes the next project easier to estimate and gives your team a record of which checks helped.
Put a decision gate before each commitment
Before making an offer, confirm that the shortlisted floor can support the team’s layout. Before signing, check that the written terms match the agreed handover and that the budget includes the work still needed. Before giving notice on the old office, review the new building’s critical dates with the people delivering them. Each gate should have a named decision-maker and a short list of evidence. If a decision moves, update any dependent milestones and tell the teams whose work is affected.