ARC’s relocation departure services manage every detail of your employee’s exit from the origin location, from the initial counseling call through home sale, household goods packout, lease termination, and final closing. The departure phase is the most complex part of any corporate relocation, and getting it right is the difference between an employee who arrives at the new role focused and ready, and one who arrives stressed, distracted, and at risk of attrition.
What Are Departure Services?
Departure services are the bundle of relocation activities that handle your employee’s exit from their current location. They include selling or renting out the home, terminating leases, coordinating the household goods shipment, vacating the property, transferring or cancelling utilities, redirecting mail, supporting school cancellations, and (for international assignments) starting the visa and immigration process.
The reason departure services matter so much is timing. Most relocation problems trace back to something that went wrong during departure: a home that didn’t sell, a lease that wasn’t properly terminated, a packout that ran late, a security deposit that got disputed, or a visa application that missed a deadline. Strong departure services prevent those problems before they cascade into the destination phase.
ARC handles the full departure lifecycle through a single Relocation Counselor who serves as your employee’s point of contact and your HR team’s accountability partner. The counselor designs the departure plan around your company’s relocation policy and the individual transferee’s circumstances, then coordinates every supplier touchpoint from initiation through closing.
The Departure Services Lifecycle
A typical corporate departure moves through six phases. Each phase has specific deliverables and a defined timeline:
- Initiation and authorization. Policy review, counselor assignment, and authorization form processing.
- Pre-decision counseling. Cost estimates, destination orientation, and benefit walkthrough.
- Home sale or property setup. Listing strategy, marketing assistance, or property management decisions.
- Household goods packout. Carrier selection, inventory, packing, and load-out.
- Vacate and inspection. Property condition documentation, utility cancellation, mail redirection, and final walkthrough.
- Closing. Home sale closing, security deposit recovery for renters, and final expense reconciliation.
Most corporate departures run 60 to 90 days from initiation to closing, though international assignments and slow-moving real estate markets can extend the timeline. ARC’s counselors typically recommend starting the departure process at least 8 to 10 weeks before the target move date.
Pre-Decision Counseling
Pre-decision counseling sets the tone for the entire relocation. Before your employee accepts the assignment or commits to a move date, ARC’s counselors walk them through the relocation policy benefits, the specifics of the destination market, and the cost realities of the move.
A typical pre-decision session covers cost-of-living differences, housing market conditions in the destination, schooling options, commute considerations, and any cultural factors that apply to international assignments. The goal is to surface concerns early, when they can be addressed without delaying the move. Pre-decision counseling has become one of the highest-leverage parts of any relocation program because it directly reduces cancelled relocations driven by negative equity, family hesitation, or budget surprises.
For HR teams, the deliverable is a clear cost estimate and a documented policy walkthrough you can use for offer letters and internal approvals. For your employee, it’s a chance to make an informed decision before they’re locked into a move date.
Home Sale Assistance and Marketing
For homeowner transferees, the home sale is the single largest cost in the relocation and the most common source of delay. ARC’s departure services include the full home sale lifecycle plus a structured marketing program designed to reduce time-on-market.
Marketing Assistance Program
ARC’s Marketing Assistance Program (MAP) is the structured pre-buyout phase of any home sale program. During the marketing period (typically 60 or 90 days, depending on the policy), ARC’s counselor works with your employee to:
- Select a relocation-trained listing agent from ARC’s vetted broker network
- Develop a competitive market analysis and pricing strategy
- Coordinate professional photography, staging recommendations, and home preparation
- Review and approve marketing materials, listing copy, and online placement
- Provide weekly status updates with showing feedback and pricing recommendations
- Review incoming offers against bona fide criteria
The Marketing Assistance Program runs in parallel with whatever home sale structure your policy defines, whether that’s Buyer Value Option (BVO), Amended Value Option (AV), Guaranteed Buyout (GBO), or Direct Reimbursement.
Home Sale Programs
ARC supports all three primary tax-protected home sale structures. For a quick overview:
- Buyer Value Option (BVO): The outside buyer’s offer sets the home’s value. ARC purchases the home from your employee and resells it in a separate transaction. Cost-effective in active markets.
- Amended Value Option (AV): Two appraisals set a baseline value, then the price is amended upward when an outside buyer offers more. The only home sale structure with a direct IRS Revenue Ruling.
- Guaranteed Buyout (GBO): ARC purchases the home at appraised value as a guaranteed offer, then markets it to outside buyers. Best for hard-to-sell properties or remote markets.
Your relocation policy determines which option applies. ARC’s counselor walks your employee through the program structure, timing, and tax implications during the initial counseling call.
Equity Advance
For employees who need to purchase at the destination before the origin home closes, ARC offers an equity advance program. The advance lets your employee tap a percentage of the expected equity from the home sale to use as a down payment on the destination property. This avoids the gap that would otherwise force the employee to either delay the destination purchase or carry two mortgages temporarily.
Property Management for Transferees Who Keep Their Home
Not every transferee sells. International assignees often retain their U.S. home as a long-term hold, especially when the assignment is rotational or has a defined end date. Some domestic transferees choose to rent rather than sell when market conditions are unfavorable.
ARC’s property management program handles the full landlord function on behalf of the transferee, including:
- Tenant placement and lease execution
- Rent collection and accounting
- Maintenance coordination and repair oversight
- Property condition inspections (move-in, periodic, move-out)
- Absentee home watch for periods when the property is vacant
- Coordination with HOAs, insurance, and tax filings
Property management is particularly valuable for international assignees because it preserves the option to repatriate to the same home at the end of the assignment, which removes a significant source of repatriation friction.
Departure Services for Renters
Roughly a third of relocating employees rent rather than own, and renter departures have their own distinct workflow. ARC’s renter departure services include:
- Lease termination assistance and early-termination negotiation
- Property condition documentation with photo evidence
- Move-out inspection coordination
- Security deposit recovery support
- Coordination with property managers and landlords
- Mail redirection setup
The most common renter dispute is the security deposit. ARC’s counselors document the move-out condition systematically so your employee has the evidence needed to recover the full deposit. For complex situations, ARC’s counselor can negotiate directly with the landlord on the transferee’s behalf.
Household Goods Move Management
ARC built a proprietary online bidding platform called ARCmoves that delivers real-time pricing from vetted movers anywhere in the world. The household goods process during departure includes:
- Home survey and inventory assessment (in-person or virtual)
- Carrier selection through ARCmoves competitive bidding
- Packing schedule coordination
- Specialty item handling (artwork, antiques, vehicles, pets)
- Customs documentation for international shipments
- Loading day supervision and inventory verification
- Storage coordination if dates don’t align between origin and destination
ARC’s move management experts coordinate every aspect of the shipment, from inventory through claims settlement if any issues arise. Your employee has a single point of contact for the entire move, which prevents the finger-pointing common when companies hire movers directly.
Visa and Immigration Support
For international assignments, the visa and immigration process starts during departure. ARC’s immigration partners work with your HR and legal teams to:
- Design a business immigration program aligned with the assignment structure
- Prepare and submit visa and work permit applications
- Coordinate dependent visa processing for accompanying family members
- Track regulatory changes in the destination country
- Provide pre-initiation counseling for the employee and family
- Maintain real-time reporting through ARC’s technology platform
Immigration timelines drive everything else in an international move. Starting the visa process during the departure phase rather than at destination is what keeps the assignment on schedule.
Relocation Policy Counseling
Your employee’s understanding of their relocation policy directly affects the success of the move. ARC’s counselors deliver structured policy counseling at the start of every relocation, with ongoing support throughout the process.
The initial counseling session covers benefit eligibility, reimbursement procedures, tax implications of each benefit, exception requests, and the documentation required to access each policy element. The counselor designs a personalized communications plan that combines structured touch points with on-demand availability for questions as they come up.
Lump Sum and Tax Administration
Many companies offer lump sum payments to simplify relocation administration. ARC has extensive experience with lump sum arrangements and supports both the employer and the employee through the program.
For employers, ARC handles lump sum calculation, gross-up determination, year-end reporting, and tax compliance. For employees, ARC provides guidance on how to allocate the lump sum effectively across the departure expenses (home sale costs, household goods, temporary housing, destination expenses).
ARC’s tax services also cover relocation gross-up calculations for traditional managed programs, year-end W-2 reporting, and (for international assignments) compensation balance sheet support, shadow payroll coordination, and total compensation reporting.
Why Companies Choose ARC for Departure Services
Several structural differences set ARC apart from most relocation management companies:
- True independence. ARC is not owned by, and has no sister-company affiliation with, any van line or real estate brokerage. Supplier recommendations are based on performance, not ownership.
- GSA Schedule 653-5. ARC is an approved relocation services provider to the United States Government, with the same compliance rigor applied to every private-sector client.
- No minimum move requirement. ARC works with companies that move one employee a year or hundreds, with the same level of service.
- 24/7 counselor access. Real estate transactions and international moves don’t pause for business hours.
- Proprietary technology. ARCmoves for household goods bidding and ARCtrak for full relocation visibility.
- Affinity Rebate. Cash back on every home sale and home purchase transaction where state law permits.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start planning my employee’s relocation departure?
Start the departure process as soon as the assignment is confirmed, ideally 8 to 10 weeks before the target move date. International assignments and home sales in slow markets benefit from even longer lead times because of visa processing and extended marketing windows.
What’s the difference between departure services and destination services?
Departure services manage your employee’s exit from the origin location, including home sale, household goods packout, and lease termination. Destination services manage their arrival at the new location, including home finding, school search, and area orientation.
What happens if my employee’s home doesn’t sell before the move date?
Solutions depend on your relocation policy. Options include extending the marketing assistance period, activating a guaranteed buyout if your policy includes one, transitioning to property management with a tenant placement, or providing temporary housing at the destination while the home continues to market.
Does ARC offer property management for employees who don’t sell?
Yes. ARC’s property management program handles tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance coordination, periodic inspections, and absentee home watch for transferees who keep their home as a long-term hold or rotational asset.
How do departure services handle international moves?
International departure services include all standard domestic services plus visa and immigration processing, customs documentation, language and cultural training, and specialized international shipping coordination. International timelines typically run 90 to 180 days because of immigration processing.
Can ARC help if my employee is renting rather than owning?
Yes. ARC’s renter departure services include lease termination assistance, property condition documentation, move-out inspection coordination, and security deposit recovery support.
How does ARC handle expense management during departure?
ARC tracks every relocation-related expense through the ARCtrak platform, with real-time reporting available to your finance and mobility teams. Expenses are categorized by policy benefit, gross-up implications are calculated automatically, and year-end reporting feeds directly into your payroll and tax processes.
Final Thoughts
A successful relocation depends on a clean departure. The home that sells on time, the lease that terminates without dispute, the household goods that arrive intact, the visa that approves on schedule, the equity that disburses when your employee needs it. None of those outcomes happen by accident. They happen because someone is coordinating every supplier, tracking every deadline, and anticipating every problem before it surfaces.
ARC’s departure services are built around that coordination function. From the initial pre-decision call through the final closing, your employee works with a single Relocation Counselor backed by ARC’s vetted supplier network, GSA-approved processes, and proprietary technology. Your HR team gets visibility into every move, predictable spend, and the confidence that comes from working with a partner who has handled every kind of departure scenario.
Contact ARC for a no-obligation consultation and we’ll walk you through how a tailored departure program can support your relocation policy. For a quick estimate first, the ARC Relocation Cost Calculator gives you a working number in minutes.