Lifestyle Center CAM Reconciliation Guide for Landlords

Typical CAM pools, billing errors, gross-up mechanics, and BOMA standards for lifestyle center properties.

Benchmark CAM per SF

$8.00 – $16.00 / SF

Source: ICSC / IREM 2024

Gross-Up Applicability

Relevant — lifestyle centers have higher turnover in smaller boutique spaces. Variable expenses for common amenity areas (fountains, event spaces, premium landscaping) should be evaluated for gross-up when occupancy drops.

Typical CAM Pools

  • Landscaping (premium)
  • Security
  • Marketing/promotions fund
  • Parking (surface and structured)
  • Lighting
  • Common area amenities
  • Management fees
  • Insurance
  • Property taxes
  • Event programming

Standard Exclusions

  • Capital improvements
  • Leasing commissions
  • Individual tenant build-out
  • Anchor-specific costs
  • Developer overhead

Common Lease Structures

NNN with marketing fund contributionModified gross with percentage rentHybrid CAM with controllable caps

Common Billing Errors

  • Commingling marketing fund and CAM charges
  • Including capital improvements to common amenities as operating expenses
  • Incorrect allocation of structured parking costs to tenants without allocated spaces

Relevant BOMA Standards

  • ANSI/BOMA Z65.5 (Retail Buildings)
  • Mixed-use measurement methods when office or residential is present

Lifestyle Center CAM Context

Lifestyle centers command premium CAM charges due to high-end common area maintenance (water features, premium hardscaping, event spaces). Tenants often dispute whether these amenity costs should be recoverable operating expenses or landlord capital.

Validate Your Lifestyle Center Reconciliations

CapVeri applies property-type-specific rules to catch gross-up errors, cap violations, and billing mistakes — from your Yardi or MRI exports.

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