Moving in to an office that is not ready
A member leaves a ten-person office on Friday. A new company signed for it starting Monday, with a request for two more desks, a whiteboard wall and their logo on the door. The community manager emails the cleaners, the handyman for the scuffed walls, the furniture supplier for the desks, the sign maker and the IT contractor to move the network ports.
On Monday morning, the office has been cleaned but the walls have not been painted, the extra desks arrive at noon, the sign is next week and the network ports are still assigned to the old member. The new company's first day is spent in a meeting room.
Why turnarounds slip
- The leaving date is in the move-out process and the start date is in the sales deal; nobody lines them up.
- Tasks go to suppliers by email with no confirmation of when they will be done.
- Condition problems are found on the last day, leaving no time to fix them.
- The new member's requests are agreed in sales and passed on late.
- IT and access changes are not part of the same plan.
- Nobody sees all turnarounds across sites at once.
Operators that aim for high occupancy often leave very little time between one member and the next, which makes the planning more important, not less.
What slipping turnarounds cost
New members' first impression is an office that is not ready, just after they chose you. Start dates are pushed back, losing days of income. Suppliers are paid for urgent call-outs. Community managers spend the days before a move-in chasing people. And across a portfolio, nobody knows how long offices typically take to turn around.
It also affects what sales can promise. If turnarounds are unpredictable, sales either pads start dates, losing income, or promises dates the operations team cannot meet.
The turnaround plan we build
- When notice is logged, a turnaround plan opens for the office, with the leaving date. When a new deal is signed for it, the start date and the new member's requests are added.
- A pre-exit inspection is scheduled before the leaving date, so repairs are known in advance.
- Tasks are created from your standard turnaround list plus the inspection findings and the new member's requests: cleaning, repairs, redecoration, furniture, IT and network, access, signage.
- Each task goes to the right supplier or team member with dates and a link to confirm and mark complete, with a photo.
- The community manager sees a timeline of the turnaround, with anything at risk of missing the start date highlighted.
- Network and access changes are triggered through your systems on the right dates.
- A final check with photos confirms the office is ready, and the new member's welcome goes ahead.
| Task | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-exit inspection | Community manager | Before the leaving date |
| Cleaning and repairs | Cleaners and maintenance | Between leaving and start |
| Furniture changes | Supplier | Before start |
| Network and access | Automated, IT if needed | On the start date |
| Signage | Sign maker | Before start |
| Final check | Community manager | Day before start |
What move-in day looks like
New members arrive to an office that is ready, with their requests done. Suppliers know what to do and when, and confirm it. Community managers see risks early. And over time you learn how long turnarounds take and can give sales realistic start dates.
Suppliers benefit too. A clear job with dates, photos and a confirmation link is easier to plan than a string of urgent emails.
Is this your move-in week?
- New members arrive to offices that are not ready.
- Turnaround tasks are arranged by email.
- Repairs are discovered on the leaving day.
- New members' requests reach operations late.
- Network and access changes are forgotten.