Planning an office cleanout

Office leases end with a clause that says "broom clean, all tenant property removed", and the last week of a lease is when most companies discover how much property that is.

Start four weeks out

• Inventory the furniture, equipment and files. Photograph each room.
• Decide what moves to the new space and tag it.
• Get the landlord's exit requirements in writing: which fixtures stay, whether cabling must be pulled, and the inspection date.

Furniture

Used office furniture has resale value only in volume and only for recognized brands. A liquidator may buy a 50-desk floor; a cleanout vendor will haul ten desks. Donation to schools and nonprofits is the middle path and produces a receipt.

Technology and data

Computers, servers, phones and copiers hold data. Use a vendor that provides a certificate of data destruction, and keep the serial numbers. Copiers in particular store every page scanned.

Documents

Anything with personal or financial data goes to a shredding service, not the dumpster. Shredding is priced per box or per pound and the vendor gives a certificate of destruction.

How cleanout vendors price it

By truck load or by square foot, with surcharges for after-hours work, freight elevators and long carries. A typical 5,000 square foot office costs $1,500 to $4,000 to clear, less whatever the furniture fetches. Ask for a certificate of insurance; the building manager will want it before the crew enters.

The last day

Walk the space with the landlord, confirm the broom clean standard is met, and photograph every room. The photographs are your defense against deductions from the security deposit.