What are the signs a company is about to move office?

The longer answer

The earliest and most reliable sign is the lease: a registered lease heading for expiry shows 12–24 months out and a break clause window 9–18 months out; both force a decision and both are public at HM Land Registry. The building gives the next tier — a planning application for refurbishment, redevelopment or change of use (3–12 months out) displaces every occupier, and a poor EPC against the coming MEES standard (12–36 months out) pushes the landlord to works. The company gives the rest: sustained hiring for office-based roles (6–18 months), declared headcount that no longer fits the measured floor area (6–24 months), a change of control on the PSC register (6–18 months after), a funding round (3–12 months), and a company maturing inside serviced or flex space and ready for its own lease. Accounts or filings turning late is the one sign to read in reverse — a company in trouble is more likely to shrink than to move. No single sign is enough; Signal scores the combination and the corroboration across independent registers. The field guide explains each sign, how early it shows and the register it comes from.

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