Office Relocation: 13 Assessments Your Move Resets (and Who Owns Each One)
In 2024/25, 511,000 workers in Great Britain were suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, with 7.1 million working days lost (HSE statistics). In office businesses, many of those cases start at a desk that was never set up properly. Few events create more badly set up desks in a single weekend than an office move.
A relocation resets every assessment you hold, from fire strategy and evacuation roles to DSE and first aid cover. Your old fire risk assessment describes a building you no longer occupy. Your fire wardens were chosen for a floor plan that no longer exists. Your first aid cover was calculated for a different journey time to hospital. On the Monday after the move, much of your health and safety paperwork is describing somewhere else.
Most office relocation checklists come from removal firms, agents and fit-out companies. They are excellent on crates, IT cutover and lease dates, and almost silent on the legal duties that restart the moment your people walk in. This guide fills that gap with a reset register: 13 assessments, who owns each one (you, your landlord, or both), and the deadline by which it has to be redone.
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Why a Move Triggers a Legal Reset
UK law does not ask you to review assessments on a fixed timetable. It asks you to review them when there is a significant change, and moving premises is about as significant as change gets.
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3 requires risk assessments to be reviewed if there is reason to suspect they are no longer valid or there has been a significant change.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9 applies the same test to fire risk assessments.
- The Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992, regulation 2 requires workstation assessments to be reviewed after significant change.
The same principle applies internationally. Ireland requires the Safety Statement to be reviewed after significant change under section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. France expects the DUERP to be updated after any significant change to working conditions. The Netherlands expects the RI&E to reflect current premises and work. A new address is a new assessment almost everywhere.
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Phase 1: Before You Sign the Lease
These three resets happen before you commit, because the answers can change whether the building is right for you at all.
1. The Building's Own Safety Information
Why it resets: in a multi-occupied building, the landlord usually controls the common parts, fire alarm, structure and shared services. Your arrangements will sit on top of theirs, so you need to see theirs first. That means the landlord's fire risk assessment for common areas, the building fire strategy, the asbestos register, and the legionella risk assessment.
Owner: landlord provides, you review. Reset deadline: before signing heads of terms.
Our guide to landlord health and safety documentation lists what tenants should expect to receive, in the UK and internationally. Where asbestos is present, regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 sets out the duty to manage it, and our asbestos page explains what that means for tenants.
2. Welfare and Workplace Standards
Why it resets: toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, ventilation, lighting, temperature and space per person are all set by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. A building that suited your old headcount may fall short for your new one, especially if you are consolidating two offices into one.
Owner: shared. The landlord provides the building; you are responsible for how many people you put in it. Reset deadline: before signing, then confirmed at fit-out.
See office welfare facilities: 7 requirements and the hybrid problem and, if you are fitting out, the fit-out brief: 11 things to specify before sign-off.
3. Employee Consultation
Why it resets: a move changes commutes, working environments and often working patterns. Under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, employers must consult on changes that may substantially affect health and safety. Consultation run after the decision is made is not consultation.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: as soon as the move is being seriously considered.
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Phase 2: Before Day One in the New Office
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These six resets must be complete before anyone starts working in the new space. If they are not, your people are occupying premises without valid arrangements.
4. Your Fire Risk Assessment
Why it resets: the landlord's assessment covers the common parts. Yours must cover your demise: your layout, your occupancy, your equipment, your people. The old document cannot be adapted, because almost every input has changed. GOV.UK's fire safety risk assessment guide for offices and shops sets the benchmark.
Owner: you, coordinated with the landlord's fire strategy. Reset deadline: before occupation.
Book a fire risk assessment once the fit-out layout is final, not before.
5. Evacuation Roles: Fire Wardens and Marshals
Why it resets: the number and position of fire wardens depends on floor layout, escape routes and how many people are in on a typical day. Hybrid working makes this harder, because the warden you appointed may only be in on Tuesdays. Your evacuation procedure must also fit the building's overall fire evacuation strategy.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: before occupation, with a drill in the first weeks.
Fire marshal training should be refreshed for the new building, even for experienced wardens.
6. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
Why it resets: a PEEP is written for a specific person in a specific building. Different stairs, refuge areas, lifts and alarm systems mean every existing PEEP is invalid on moving day.
Owner: you, working with the individual and the landlord. Reset deadline: before the person's first day in the new office.
See personal emergency evacuation plans: 7 questions offices get wrong.
7. First Aid Needs Assessment
Why it resets: the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require "adequate and appropriate" provision, and HSE's first aid guidance makes clear that is decided by a needs assessment, not a fixed ratio. Distance to emergency services, the number of floors, shift patterns and who is in on which days all feed in, and all may change with a move.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: before occupation.
For background, see the importance of first aid in the workplace.
8. Electrical Equipment
Why it resets: equipment is unplugged, packed, transported and reconnected by people in a hurry. Damaged leads and overloaded extension sockets are classic move-week hazards. The fixed electrical installation is normally the landlord's responsibility; the equipment you bring is yours.
Owner: shared. Landlord for the installation, you for your equipment. Reset deadline: a visual inspection as equipment is reconnected.
See is PAT testing a legal requirement? 5 things that clear it up.
9. Security, Access and Lone Working
Why it resets: new entry systems, new out-of-hours arrangements, new car parks and new walking routes to transport all change lone working risk. Staff who worked late safely in one location may be exposed in another.
Owner: you, with the landlord for building access. Reset deadline: before occupation.
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Phase 3: The First 30 Days After the Move
These four resets need people in the building to be done properly. Leave them longer than a month and temporary arrangements quietly become permanent.
10. DSE Assessments
Why it resets: new desks, new chairs, new lighting and often a switch to hot-desking all change workstation risk. Every DSE user needs a fresh assessment, and hot-desking means users must be able to adjust any desk they use. HSE's DSE guidance sets out what a suitable assessment covers.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: within the first weeks, prioritising anyone who reports discomfort.
Our DSE assessment service can run this at scale across one site or many.
11. Your General Office Risk Assessment
Why it resets: slips and trips, kitchen use, storage, manual handling, temperature and stress were all assessed for the old space. Rewrite the assessment once people are working normally, not from the floor plans.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: within 30 days of occupation.
Use our office risk assessment guide as the starting framework.
12. Individual Risk Assessments
Why it resets: any assessment made for an individual, such as a new or expectant mother, a young worker, or someone with agreed workplace adjustments, was based on the old environment. Each must be reviewed with the person concerned.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: before or immediately after that person's first day.
13. Records, Notices and Reporting Details
Why it resets: the health and safety law information for employees, accident book location, RIDDOR reporting arrangements, insurer details and emergency contact information all need updating with the new address and new responsible people.
Owner: you. Reset deadline: first week.
See the health and safety law poster: one legal requirement, two routes.
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Moving Abroad, or Opening a Second Office Overseas?
International relocation resets everything above, plus the legal framework itself. The headline documents differ by country:
| Country | Core assessment that resets | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Risk assessments, fire risk assessment, DSE | United Kingdom |
| Ireland | Safety Statement and supporting risk assessments | Ireland |
| France | DUERP (Document Unique) | DUERP |
| Netherlands | RI&E risk inventory and evaluation | RI&E |
| Germany | Gefährdungsbeurteilung (risk assessment) | DGUV |
| United Arab Emirates | MOHRE occupational safety requirements | MOHRE |
If your first overseas office is in a new region, our Poland new-office sequence shows how a country-specific opening works in practice. For anything multi-country, international health and safety consultants save you rebuilding the same knowledge for each new location.
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Sector Notes
AI and data businesses: moves often include server rooms, UPS and battery systems, and gaseous fire suppression. Each one changes the fire risk assessment and may require specific training for anyone who could be in the room when suppression discharges. See our AI and data sector page.
Law firms: paper archives, deed rooms and file storage create floor loading, manual handling and fire load questions that are often discovered during the move itself. See our legal sector page.
Software scale-ups and insurers: a move is often also a switch to hot-desking. That makes Reset 10 (DSE) and Reset 5 (evacuation roles) the two most likely to slip. See our software and insurance sector pages.
Education: decanting staff and students into temporary accommodation during a refurbishment counts as a relocation, and every reset applies to the temporary site too. See our education sector page.
Flexible space: moving into coworking or serviced offices does not remove these duties. See coworking and serviced offices: 7 duties that stay with you.
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The Reset Register at a Glance
| # | Assessment | Owner | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Building safety information | Landlord provides, you review | Before signing |
| 2 | Welfare and workplace standards | Shared | Before signing |
| 3 | Employee consultation | You | When the move is considered |
| 4 | Fire risk assessment | You | Before occupation |
| 5 | Fire wardens and marshals | You | Before occupation |
| 6 | PEEPs | You | Before each person's first day |
| 7 | First aid needs assessment | You | Before occupation |
| 8 | Electrical equipment | Shared | On reconnection |
| 9 | Security, access and lone working | You | Before occupation |
| 10 | DSE assessments | You | First weeks |
| 11 | General office risk assessment | You | Within 30 days |
| 12 | Individual risk assessments | You | Before or on first day |
| 13 | Records, notices and reporting | You | First week |
Copy this into your office relocation project management plan as a workstream with a named owner. For the logistics side of the move, our earlier office move health and safety checklist covers the practical hazards of moving week itself.
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How Arinite Helps
Arinite has supported 1,500+ businesses across 50+ countries for 15+ years, protecting 100,000+ employees, with 95%+ client retention. Our qualified consultants support office relocations from the first building viewing through to the 30-day review, in the UK and internationally.
- Done For You: our health and safety consultants complete all 13 resets for you, then carry out a post-move check through our health and safety audits to confirm nothing was missed.
- Done With You: we join your relocation project team, review the landlord's information before you sign, and coach your office managers through the resets they will own.
- DIY: you run the register yourself on our health and safety consultants and software platform, with every assessment, owner and deadline tracked and expert help on call.
If you are opening offices in several countries at once, our global health and safety consultants bring every location onto one consistent standard.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a new fire risk assessment when I move offices?
Yes. A fire risk assessment is specific to the premises, layout and occupancy. When you move, your previous assessment no longer describes where your people work, so a new one must be completed before you occupy the building.
Who is responsible for health and safety in a leased office?
Usually both landlord and tenant. The landlord typically controls the structure, common parts and shared systems, while the tenant is responsible for its own space, people, equipment and arrangements. The lease and the building's fire strategy should make the split clear.
When should health and safety be included in office relocation project management?
From the start. Building information and welfare capacity should be checked before you sign, and employee consultation should begin as soon as a move is seriously considered. Leaving health and safety until moving week means discovering problems after you have committed.
Do DSE assessments need redoing after an office move?
Yes. New furniture, layouts and lighting change workstation risk, and the DSE Regulations require assessments to be reviewed after significant change. Prioritise anyone who reports discomfort after the move.
Do these rules apply when opening an office in another country?
The principle does, but the documents and detail change. Each country has its own core assessment, such as the DUERP in France or the RI&E in the Netherlands, and local requirements for first aid, fire safety and consultation.
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Move Once, Reset Properly
The best time to plan your resets is before the lease is signed, and the second best is now. Book a free gap analysis with Arinite and we will review your relocation plan against all 13 resets, in the UK or wherever your next office is, and show you what needs doing first.
Written by
Arinite Health & Safety Consultants
Health & Safety Expert at Arinite
