Life Sciences / Lab CAM Reconciliation Guide for Landlords
Typical CAM pools, billing errors, gross-up mechanics, and BOMA standards for life sciences / lab properties.
Benchmark CAM per SF
$15.00 – $35.00 / SF
Source: CBRE Life Sciences / JLL 2024
Gross-Up Applicability
Relevant but complex — life sciences buildings have high fixed infrastructure costs (backup power, chilled water, ventilation) that may not vary linearly with occupancy. Gross-up formulas must account for infrastructure that runs regardless of occupancy.
Typical CAM Pools
- HVAC maintenance (lab-grade)
- Utilities (high-intensity)
- Janitorial (cleanroom/lab)
- Security
- Environmental compliance
- Fire/life safety systems
- Insurance
- Property taxes
- Management fees
- Shared lab infrastructure
Standard Exclusions
- Tenant lab equipment
- Tenant-specific environmental permits
- Capital improvements
- Leasing commissions
- Research-specific waste disposal
Common Lease Structures
Common Billing Errors
- Passing through lab infrastructure costs to office-only tenants in mixed lab/office buildings
- Including tenant-caused environmental remediation in shared CAM
- Misallocating utility costs between labs running 24/7 and standard office spaces
Relevant BOMA Standards
- ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2024 (Office Buildings)
- Lab measurement including vivarium and cleanroom classifications
Life Sciences / Lab CAM Context
Life sciences buildings have the highest CAM per SF of any property type due to intensive HVAC, utility, and infrastructure requirements. Lab spaces typically consume 3-5x the energy of standard office space, making utility allocation the primary dispute driver.
Related Resources
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