Resources · Northwest Washington
Moving offices in Bellingham? Your tech and telecom checklist and timeline
Signing the lease is the easy part. The hard part is making sure the internet works, the phones ring, and the alarm panel still calls out on the first morning in the new space. This checklist walks Bellingham and Northwest Washington businesses through an office move, month by month. Treat the time ranges as planning guidance. Real lead times are set by providers, landlords, and contractors, and they vary by address.
Why technology is the part of a move that slips
Furniture and movers run on your schedule. Internet and phone service run on someone else's. A provider may need landlord permission, permits, or a fiber build before it can install. Each step depends on the one before it, so a late start in month one can push back move day.
The fix is simple: start with technology, not end with it.
Four to six months out: contracts and internet
Find every contract end date. List each service you pay for today: internet, phones, mobile lines, security monitoring, cloud apps, and equipment leases. For each one, write down the end date and the notice window. Many business contracts renew on their own unless you give written notice by a set date. Put each deadline on a shared calendar.
Read the relocation and early-termination terms. Some contracts let you move service to a new address instead of cancelling. Others charge a fee to end early. Knowing which is which shapes every decision that follows.
Check internet availability at the new address with several providers. Ask each one what it can deliver at that exact suite: fiber, cable, fixed wireless, or cellular. Ask whether fiber is already in the building or would need a build. Two buildings on the same street can have very different options.
Order the main connection once the lease is signed. If fiber needs to be built, the clock starts when you order, not when you move.
Get the building details from your landlord. You'll want to know where lines enter the building (often called the demarc), who can grant access to the telecom room, what the rules are for running cable, and whether roof space is available for a wireless antenna.
Plan backup internet. A second connection from a different provider, or a different technology such as wireless, can keep key systems running if the main line goes down. It works best when the two lines don't share the same physical path into the building.
Decide on phones. Move your current phone system, or compare cloud phone systems (UCaaS).
List every copper phone line. Traditional copper lines (often called POTS) still run many alarm panels, fire panels, elevator phones, fax machines, and card readers. Write down what each line does. Then ask those vendors and your local fire authority what the new site requires.
Two to three months out: cabling, network, and phone numbers
Design and install cabling. Plan network drops, Wi-Fi access point locations, cameras, and door access. Use a licensed low-voltage contractor. If you can, finish cabling before drywall and furniture go in.
Size the Wi-Fi for the floor plan, your device count, and any guest network.
Line up network and security equipment. Firewall, switches, access points, and SD-WAN (software that manages traffic across more than one connection), if you use it. Your IT team or managed service provider (MSP) configures these.
Start number porting. Porting is moving your phone numbers to a new provider. The account name, service address, and account number on the request must match your current bill exactly. Don't cancel the old service until the port is complete.
Order mobile and IoT services, such as cellular devices that replace some copper lines, if your alarm and elevator vendors and the local fire authority approve them. Fire alarm codes (NFPA 72) and elevator codes (ASME A17.1) allow listed cellular or IP replacements only when they meet monitoring and backup-power rules.
Four to six weeks out: 911, install dates, and address records
Set up 911 for the new address. Federal rules cover business phone systems with many lines. Under Kari's Law, staff must be able to dial 911 directly, with no "9" or other prefix. The system must also alert a central spot where someone is likely to see or hear it. Under RAY BAUM'S Act, 911 calls must carry a "dispatchable location": the validated street address plus details like floor or suite. Update the registered address for every phone and user with your provider, and test using the provider's approved method. The people who install, manage, or operate the system carry these duties, so confirm the details with your provider and counsel.
Confirm install dates for main and backup internet, and schedule your IT team to be on site.
Update address records. That includes provider accounts, billing, 911 addresses, your Google Business Profile, your website, and printed materials.
Order phone hardware and plan training if you're moving to a new phone system.
One to two weeks out and move week: test everything
One to two weeks out: Make sure internet is installed and tested, including switching over to the backup line. Have your IT team set up and test the network, Wi-Fi, and printers. Confirm the port date and the cutover plan. Decide where calls go if something slips, such as forwarding to mobile phones. Test alarm, fire, and elevator lines on their new service with those vendors.
Move week: Complete the phone cutover and port. Test inbound calls, outbound calls, voicemail, and the main number. Make a 911 test call the way your provider tells you to, and confirm the alert reaches its designated spot. Check Wi-Fi coverage, card payments, cameras, and door access.
The first 30 to 60 days after move-in
Cancel old-site services in writing, but only after the new ones work and every port is complete. Keep the confirmation numbers.
Check the first bills at the new site. Look for the right services and terms, and for old-site charges that should have stopped.
Return leased equipment from the old site to avoid fees.
Record new contract end dates and notice windows so the next renewal doesn't catch you by surprise.
Set a yearly reminder to review 911 addresses, backups, and renewal dates.
A note for Northwest Washington moves
Options can change a lot from one address to the next in Whatcom and Skagit counties. In central Bellingham, several fiber and cable providers advertise service, but availability is confirmed address by address. In rural areas, public ports have built open-access fiber, which means more than one provider can offer service over the same network. The Port of Bellingham has built these networks in parts of rural Whatcom County, and the Port of Skagit runs a similar network with Skagit PUD called SkagitNet. If you're moving to Lynden, Ferndale, Everson, or eastern Skagit County, ask early what's built, what's planned, and who offers service on it.
Frequently asked questions
How early should we start planning the technology side of an office move? Start as soon as you're serious about a space, and ideally four to six months before move-in. Start earlier if the building needs a fiber build or is in a rural area.
Can we keep our phone numbers when we move? In most cases, yes. Local numbers can usually move with you, either on the same provider or through a port to a new one. Whether a local number can follow you to a different rate center or area depends on the provider. Ask before you sign.
What if the internet isn't ready on move day? Have a plan B. Common stopgaps include a cellular connection for key systems and forwarding the main number to mobile phones. Set this up before move week, not during it.
Who is responsible for 911 setup at the new office? Under FCC rules, duties fall on the businesses and people who install, manage, or operate the phone system. Your provider and IT team do the setup. Confirm compliance with your counsel.
Do we have to cancel our old contracts? Not always. Some contracts let you move service. Check the relocation and early-termination terms first, and cancel in writing only after the new service works.
Get a second set of eyes on your move
A move is a good time to see every contract, renewal date, and service in one place. Telpeak's free audit maps what you have today, what you're billed, and when each contract renews, then compares providers for the new site side by side. You decide what to change. Install dates and service levels are set by the providers, and we stay on as your contact to follow up with them.
Book your free audit or call (360) 483-1315.
Telpeak is paid by the providers you choose, never by you. Telpeak is vendor-neutral. We work for you, not for the providers we compare.
Telpeak Technology Advisors · a national and global advisory firm with local roots in Bellingham · 2219 Rimland Dr STE 301, Bellingham, WA 98226 · (360) 483-1315. This checklist is a planning aid, not legal or compliance advice.
Telpeak is paid by the providers you choose, never by you. Telpeak is vendor-neutral. We work for you, not for the providers we compare.