Strip Mall CAM Reconciliation Guide for Landlords

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

Benchmark CAM per SF

$2.50 – $6.00 / SF

Source: ICSC / IREM 2024

Gross-Up Applicability

Limited — strip malls have lower total CAM and fewer variable expenses. However, when a strip mall has high vacancy, remaining tenants may dispute paying for the entire parking lot and lighting.

Typical CAM Pools

  • Parking lot maintenance
  • Landscaping (basic)
  • Lighting
  • Insurance
  • Property taxes
  • Trash removal
  • Snow/ice removal
  • Management fees

Standard Exclusions

  • Capital improvements
  • Leasing commissions
  • Roof replacement
  • Structural repairs

Common Lease Structures

NNN (most common)Fixed CAM with annual escalation

Common Billing Errors

  • Including roof repairs as maintenance instead of capital
  • Charging tenants for vacant-suite utilities (if landlord leaves lights on)
  • Overstating management fees as a percentage of a small CAM pool

Relevant BOMA Standards

  • ANSI/BOMA Z65.5 (Retail Buildings)

Strip Mall CAM Context

Strip malls are typically simpler CAM environments but disputes arise around deferred maintenance — landlords may attempt to pass through years of neglected parking lot or roof work as operating expenses rather than capital.

Validate Your Strip Mall 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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