Moving an office in Tenerife is not like moving a home: the challenge is not so much the furniture, but not stopping the company's activity. Each hour of inactivity costs money, serving a client poorly can cost the account, and an improperly shut down server can be a catastrophe. This guide explains how we plan office moves in Tenerife at Horizont Atlantic so that the transition is clean and without losses.
The before: 4 weeks of planning
Complete audit of the current space
The first step is a detailed inventory by workstation and department: PCs, monitors, printers, chairs, desks, filing units, filing cabinets, meeting rooms, kitchen equipment, marketing materials. Each element is labeled with a code from origin → destination so that in the new space everything is where it should be.
Destination floor plan with pre-assignment
Before moving a single box, you must be clear about where each workstation goes in the new office. A printed floor plan with the nominal assignment of desks, rooms and common areas prevents 20 people from asking on moving day "where do I sit?".
Communication with employees and suppliers
3-4 weeks in advance:
- Formal announcement to all employees with floor plan of the new headquarters and FAQs
- Notice to regular customers of the address change (NOT the phone number, which is retained if it is VoIP)
- Notification to Tax Authority, Social Security, mutual insurance, city council, property management company
- Coordination with internet provider (new line activation with minimum 2 weeks notice)
- Notice to cleaning company, maintenance, vending, courier services
The during: the ideal office move
Weekend, not a working day
The perfect office move happens from Friday evening to Sunday:
- Friday 6-10 PM: server backup, packing of IT equipment by department
- Saturday 8 AM-8 PM: physical transfer of furniture and boxes. IT technicians dismantle network, phone system, audiovisuals.
- Sunday 8 AM-8 PM: assembly at destination. Each PC on its assigned desk, cables connected, networks running. Phone and internet testing.
- Monday 8 AM: employees arrive at an office ready to work.
IT equipment: special protocol
Servers and network switches are the most delicate. Protocol:
- Full backup on external disk + cloud before shutdown
- Orderly shutdown (not abrupt power outage)
- Transport in climate-controlled boxes with protective foam
- Direct transit (no intermediate stops)
- At destination: 30 min acclimatization before powering on (especially in summer, to avoid condensation)
- Controlled startup by order: switches → servers → client computers
Furniture by departments
Each box and each piece of furniture has a 3-color label:
- Color: department (red Marketing, blue Administration, green Sales...)
- Number: workstation name (012, 047, 098...)
- Letter: element type (D=desk, C=chair, F=filing unit, F=file cabinet)
The moving team only has to look at the destination floor plan and place each package in its place. Efficiency is multiplied by 5.
Office moves in Tenerife: special features
Access to office buildings
In Santa Cruz, La Laguna and areas of Adeje/Arona, office buildings usually have time restrictions for moves:
- Only allowed on weekends or holidays
- Reserve freight elevators with the building management company
- OVP (Public Road Occupation) for unloading at the entrance (we handle this)
- Limitations in office towers (Caja de Canarias Tower, Murano Towers, etc.)
Registration at the new address
Administrative procedures following the change of registered office address:
- Tax Authority: form 036 with new fiscal address
- Social Security: notification of change of workplace address
- Commercial Registry: if registered office changes (not just workplace), notarized deed + registration
- Tenerife Cabildo: business license if activity changes
- Autonomous Community: subsidies, grants or programs in which the company is registered
Indicative cost of office move in Tenerife
For a small-to-medium office in Santa Cruz or La Laguna:
- 5-10 workstations: 1.500-2.800 €
- 10-25 workstations: 2.800-5.500 €
- 25-50 workstations: 5.500-9.500 €
- 50-100 workstations: 9.500-18.000 €
The price includes: prior technical visit, labeling, packing of IT equipment, furniture and files, weekend transfer, assembly at destination, RC insurance. Optional services can be added: secure deletion of old disks, rental of temporary furniture, storage of surplus furniture in our storage facility.
Common mistakes in office moves
Moving on a working day
To "save" on overtime, some companies try to move the office on Wednesday afternoon. Result: next Monday, 30% of employees without working PCs, internet down, phones disconnected. Real cost: 3x what was "saved" in lost productivity.
Not notifying the internet provider in time
Movistar, Vodafone, Orange need 10-15 days to activate a fiber line at a new office. If you request it on Friday for Monday, you'll arrive on Monday without internet. Solution: schedule activation 2 weeks in advance.
Not documenting the disassembly
Technicians disconnect 50 PCs on Saturday. On Monday, employees arrive and no one knows which cable goes where, which monitor belonged to whom, which phone connects to which extension. Photographic documentation of the previous state is mandatory.
Special case: move from mainland Spain to Tenerife
If your company moves from Madrid, Barcelona or another mainland city to Tenerife, we add:
- Maritime coordination in exclusive container
- Transit 7-10 days with planning for temporary business closure or office overlap
- Processing of business REF (ZEC if applicable, RIC for investments)
- Advice on compensation and IRPF allowances for employees who relocate
Request a free technical visit
At Horizont Atlantic we offer a free technical visit to your current and future office (if available) to prepare a detailed quote and personalized moving plan. Contact us indicating "office move in Tenerife" + approximate number of workstations and we'll respond within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions about office moves in Tenerife
When is the best day and time to move an office in Tenerife?
Weekend (preferably Saturday) or holiday: close Friday, open Monday at new location with minimal work interruption. Optimal times: start 7-8 AM (cooler, less traffic on TF-1/TF-5), break between 12-4 PM for heat, finish before sunset. In August, consider a night move (more expensive but more manageable).
How much does a typical office move in Tenerife cost?
Small office (1-3 workstations): 450-900 €. Medium office (5-15 workstations): 1.000-2.500 €. Large office (20-50 workstations): 2.500-7.000 €. Multinational or large corporation (50+ workstations): 5.000-20.000 €. Prices include standard furniture, IT equipment, files. Extras: complete packing, IT management, OVP, specific disassembly and assembly.
What about the IT equipment move? Do you do it or our own IT?
Both options work. If you have an internal IT department: they disconnect, pack critical equipment (servers, NAS), we transport and reconnect at destination. If you don't have IT: we hire a technical partner for the complete process, with additional cost ~500-1.500 € depending on volume. What's important: triple backup beforehand and photos of cabling to reconnect quickly.
How to coordinate with customers and suppliers about the office move?
2-4 weeks before: email with new address + operational date, update Google My Business, modify email signatures, notify Tax Authority (forms 036/037), modify issued invoices, mail forwarding through Correos for up to 6 months. More details: correct office moves.
Are there tax peculiarities if the new office is in another municipality in Tenerife?
Change of fiscal address at regional/local level: notification to Tax Authority via forms 036/037, notification to new city council for business registration (if applicable), notification to Social Security of workplace. If you change between Santa Cruz and another municipality, possible change in property tax and local fees. State taxation and IGIC remain the same within Canary Islands.
When you want to hire it, here's our service of office moves in Canary Islands with fixed quote.
For surplus office files or furniture, consider renting storage units in Tenerife.
