How far ahead do companies plan an office move?

The longer answer

An office move is decided long before anyone hears about it. The lease is the clock: an occupier must renew, renegotiate or move, and the realistic window to appoint advisers, find space and fit it out is 9–18 months before expiry for a mid-sized company, longer for large ones — pre-lets of new buildings are signed two to four years before completion. The public record shows the decision forming earlier still: a break clause window opens 9–18 months out; hiring and headcount growth against a fixed floor plate shows 6–24 months out; a planning application on their building, an ownership change or a funding round each precede a move by 3–18 months. Right now 400 tracked London companies have a lease expiry or break inside the next 18 months — 152 within six months, 126 in months 6–12 and 122 in months 12–18 — and 256 score as in market today. The practical answer for a supplier: the brief is written 6–12 months before the move, and the shortlist is usually set by then. Figures as of 1 October 2026.