Review the cap calculation before challenging the charge

Collect the terms and calculation

• Find the cap language and note which operating expense categories it covers or excludes.
• Record the cap period, base year or starting amount, increase rate, and whether the lease describes a cumulative or compounded calculation.
• Ask for the line items included in the capped pool, any exclusions, and the landlord's calculation for the reconciliation year.
• Check whether the tenant share is applied after the building-level cap calculation, as the lease specifies.

Do not assume one cap method applies to every expense. The lease may define different pools, exceptions, or calculations.

Reproduce a simple one-year screen

For a hypothetical $12,000 cap on a covered pool, if the reconciliation lists $13,000 for that same pool, the pool is $1,000 above the supplied cap. At a 50% tenant share, the screening amount is $500.

This example assumes the cap and pool are comparable and the lease applies that tenant share. It does not account for a base year, compounding, exclusions, permitted adjustments, credits, or overlapping issues. Confirm those details before treating the difference as a question for the landlord.

Use the estimate as a first pass

Clawback's free CSV estimate compares a line's building amount with the cap amount you enter and applies the tenant share you supply. It identifies the source row and screening basis. It does not interpret cap clauses or determine which expenses belong in the pool.

The optional $299 package turns your reviewed findings and lease section references into a row-cited report draft and editable dispute letter for one lease and one annual reconciliation. Review each calculation and check for overlap before relying on the drafts.

Use the complete CAM review checklist · Read a fictional sample package

This guide is general information, not legal, accounting, or lease-administration advice. Results are screening flags, not verified overcharges or guaranteed recovery. Confirm the lease language, source records, notice method, and deadline. See Terms and Privacy.