How to Cross-Check Your CAM Charges (Free) — Step by Step
You don't need to hire an auditor or confront your landlord to find out whether your CAM bill is right. A CAM cross-check verifies the numbers you were billed against two things: your own lease, and independent public data the landlord doesn't control. It's a math check, not a substantive audit — but it's enough to surface a mathematically defensible discrepancy and decide whether to request the backup records. Here's the method.
What is a CAM cross-check (and how is it different from a lease audit)?
A lease audit is a fee-based or contingency engagement where a firm digs through the landlord's invoices. A CAM cross-check is an independent verification of the landlord's stated CAM against outside public data — county Gross Building Area, the landlord's SEC/REIT filings, and BOMA per-square-foot benchmarks. It's faster, cheaper, and you can start free. Full definition: what is a CAM cross-check?
Step 1 — Understand what you were billed
Pull your lease and your annual reconciliation (true-up) statement. Identify three numbers: the landlord's stated total operating expenses, your pro-rata share %, and what you were actually billed. If those don't reconcile (billed ≠ total × your share), that's the first red flag. Background: what "additional rent" (NNN / CAM) is and how to read your CAM reconciliation statement.
Step 2 — Check the denominator against public records
Your share is your space ÷ the building's total size, so the building size is the lever. Compare the building square footage your lease assumes against the county assessor's Gross Building Area and, where the landlord is a public REIT, its own 10-K disclosures. A building that's "smaller" on paper than in public records inflates every tenant's share. Method: how to verify your CAM charges with public records.
Step 3 — Sanity-check the cost level and the line items
Compare the per-square-foot cost against BOMA-typical ranges for your asset class and market, and scan the line items for categories that don't belong in CAM (capital improvements, leasing costs, landlord overhead). Reference: what can't be in CAM and the CAM charges FAQ.
Step 4 — Use your right to review records
Most commercial leases give you a limited window to request the supporting documentation behind the reconciliation. If your cross-check turns up a discrepancy, that's when you send a written records request — pointed at the specific numbers. California qualified small tenants have a statutory version of this right under SB-1103's inspection rights; check eligibility with the free SB 1103 qualifier.
Can I do this for free?
Yes — the first pass is free and needs no upload or sign-up: you type in a few numbers and ReCAM checks whether your share math reconciles and cross-checks against public data already available (the landlord's REIT filings and BOMA ranges). The $99 Pro tier adds the document-level check (county GBA denominator, your reconciliation line-by-line, and year-over-year).
Start the free CAM cross-check →
Informational only; not legal advice and not an audit or attest service. ReCAM is not a CPA firm and these services are not regulated by any state board of accountancy. © ReCAM Technologies LLC.