Tenant Buildout Move-In & Move-Out moving in Boston and MetroWest: moving crew at work

Commercial Service

Tenant Buildout Move-In and Move-Out in Greater Boston

We plan the physical move around the contractor's room releases, your occupancy date, and the restoration list for the suite you are leaving.

(774) 421-9389

Licensed & Insured Fully Covered
Owner-Operated By Tyler Trefrey
10 States Northeast Served

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How We Plan Tenant Buildout Move-In & Move-Out

A tenant buildout has a move at each end: into a suite a general contractor has just finished, and out of the suite your lease says must be handed back. Move-in cannot start until the building department has issued a certificate of occupancy, or a temporary one, for the new space, and the contractor has released the rooms and the route. Move-out has to leave enough time for the restoration the old lease requires before the landlord's walkthrough.

The work runs in order. A week or so before, we tour the new suite with the contractor's superintendent, note which rooms are released and which are still on the punch list, and check the path for new carpet, fresh paint, and finished door frames. Your furniture dealer's installers and cabling contractor usually finish their work first. On move day, the crew protects the new route, places furniture room by room to the occupancy drawing, and holds anything for unreleased rooms in a spot you approve. At the old suite, we remove the freestanding contents on your list and leave the patching, painting, and removal of alterations to your contractor.

Who usually signs off: Tenant's facilities lead or owner, with the general contractor and property manager confirming access and handback conditions
Timing that works: Move-in after the building department's certificate of occupancy (or a temporary one) and the contractor's room release; move-out before the old landlord's handback date, with restoration in between.

What typically moves

Reception desk and lobby seating Placed once the entry millwork and floor are released.
Private-office furniture Tagged by room on the occupancy drawing, including rooms still held.
Conference tables and credenzas Measured against the new finished doorways before the date.
Breakroom tables and movable pantry cabinets Kept clear of built-ins and appliances the contractor is finishing.
Task chairs, pedestals, and monitor arms Hardware bagged with the workstation it belongs to.
Files and packed cartons Delivered to the room on each label.

Access and scheduling

Get two things in writing before booking: the certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate, and the contractor's list of released rooms. A punch-list item in a back office rarely matters; wet paint or unfinished flooring on the route changes the plan. We can split the move by released zone and bring the rest in a second pass.

Both buildings will have move rules, often different ones: dock and elevator bookings, hours, floor protection, and an insurance certificate listing each landlord and manager, which we can issue for both. Contractors, furniture installers, and cabling crews may want the same elevator on the same day, so ask the property manager to book it for all of them. Schedule the old landlord's walkthrough after both our removal and your contractor's restoration.

Protection and handling

New suites are easy to damage and expensive to repair, so the route gets more than runners: new carpet is covered its full length, new door frames and corners get guards, and elevator cabs are padded top to bottom. Carts stay out of taped-off rooms and away from trades' tools and materials. If a room is closed at the last minute, your lead picks where its furniture goes instead of the crew guessing.

At the old suite, the approved list separates tenant contents from anything the lease says stays. We clear the freestanding items on it and record anything we cannot remove without building work. Each workstation's screens and tower arrive wrapped and get their cords back at the assigned desk; your IT provider and cabling contractor handle the network and phones.

Who does what

Some of this job belongs to other trades. The written plan names each one.

Certificate of occupancy, punch list, and room release: The building department issues the certificate; your general contractor and property manager release rooms and routes.
Systems furniture install and data cabling: Your furniture dealer's installers and cabling contractor finish before move day.
Restoration of the old suite: Your contractor removes alterations and repairs walls and floors to the landlord's written requirements.

Not part of our work

Declaring a suite ready to occupy or closing the punch list.
Patching, painting, flooring, or removing alterations for the old lease.

Around Boston and MetroWest

Buildouts in Financial District, Back Bay, and Seaport towers usually share the freight elevator with finishing trades until the last floors are done. In suburban office parks from Needham Crossing out to Marlborough, suites often have ground-level doors but the same landlord handback rules at the old space.

The crew that shows up

The Eastside Movers team gathered on an indoor staircase

Tenant Buildout Move-In & Move-Out FAQs

Another question? Call (774) 421-9389.

Can you deliver into rooms that are still on the contractor's punch list?

Often, if the remaining work is small and away from where furniture goes. Unfinished floors or active trades are different. Ask the contractor to release rooms in writing, and we update the labels to match. Anything for a held room waits in a spot you approve until it is released.

What if our occupancy date arrives before the entire buildout is released?

Move the released zones first. We place what staff need to work, such as desks, the reception area, and a meeting room, and bring the rest in a second pass once the contractor releases those rooms. The building must have issued at least a temporary certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in.

Who decides which items must leave the old suite under our lease?

The lease and the landlord's written handback instructions. Your lead marks what is yours to move, what is to be removed, and which alterations the contractor has to take out. We can walk the list with you, but any disagreement about what stays is settled between tenant and landlord before removal starts.

Should the landlord's move-out inspection happen before or after restoration?

Both, ideally. An early walkthrough flags disputed fixtures before work starts, and the final one follows our removal and your contractor's repairs and cleaning. We clear the furniture first so the contractor has open rooms to work in, and we can come back if the early walkthrough adds items.

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Tell us both addresses, the building rules you know about, and the dates you cannot move. We will send back a written plan and estimate.

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