How does contingency pricing work for CAM audits?

A contingency CAM audit firm charges nothing upfront but takes 30-50% of whatever overcharge amount is recovered from the landlord. On a $10,000 recovery, the firm keeps $3,000-$5,000. This model only makes sense for firms when recoveries are large - typically requiring portfolios of 50+ locations to justify their time.

What does a 30-50% contingency cut actually cost on a typical overcharge?

On a $3,000 overcharge: the contingency firm keeps $900-$1,500, leaving you with $1,500-$2,100. On a $5,000 overcharge: the firm keeps $1,500-$2,500, leaving you $2,500-$3,500. The larger the contingency percentage, the less justification there is to use one when a flat-fee alternative exists.

Why does CAMAudit charge $179 flat instead of taking a percentage?

CAMAudit applies detection rules automatically - no analyst time per file, no human review hours to recover. The $179 covers the full pipeline: document extraction, 14 forensic rules, a findings report, and a dispute letter draft. Because the cost of running the audit does not scale with the recovery amount, there is no reason to take a percentage.

Are contingency audit firms ever the right choice?

Yes - for tenants with very large portfolios (50+ locations) where each location might have multiple years of potentially recoverable overcharges, a contingency firm can manage the complexity and bear the risk. For tenants with 1-15 locations, the math usually favors a flat-fee tool like CAMAudit.

What does CAMAudit find that justifies the audit fee?

CAMAudit runs 14 detection rules: management fee overcharge, pro-rata share error, gross-up violation, CAM cap violation, base year error, controllable expense cap, insurance overcharge, tax overallocation, utility overcharge, common area misclassification, landlord overhead pass-through, gross lease charge detection, excluded service charges, and true-up verification. Any one of these can result in a recoverable overcharge.

Can I use CAMAudit findings to negotiate with my landlord without hiring a professional?

Many tenants do. The full CAMAudit report includes the specific lease clause being violated, the calculation error, the dollar amount at issue, and a dispute letter draft citing your lease and applicable state law. For disputes in the $1,000-$10,000 range, this is often sufficient for direct negotiation. For larger or more complex disputes, the findings give an attorney or auditor a documented starting point.

How does contingency pricing work for CAM audits?

A contingency CAM audit firm charges nothing upfront but takes 30-50% of whatever overcharge amount is recovered from the landlord. On a $10,000 recovery, the firm keeps $3,000-$5,000. This model only makes sense for firms when recoveries are large - typically requiring portfolios of 50+ locations to justify their time.

What does a 30-50% contingency cut actually cost on a typical overcharge?

On a $3,000 overcharge: the contingency firm keeps $900-$1,500, leaving you with $1,500-$2,100. On a $5,000 overcharge: the firm keeps $1,500-$2,500, leaving you $2,500-$3,500. The larger the contingency percentage, the less justification there is to use one when a flat-fee alternative exists.

Why does CAMAudit charge $179 flat instead of taking a percentage?

CAMAudit applies detection rules automatically - no analyst time per file, no human review hours to recover. The $179 covers the full pipeline: document extraction, 14 forensic rules, a findings report, and a dispute letter draft. Because the cost of running the audit does not scale with the recovery amount, there is no reason to take a percentage.

Are contingency audit firms ever the right choice?

Yes - for tenants with very large portfolios (50+ locations) where each location might have multiple years of potentially recoverable overcharges, a contingency firm can manage the complexity and bear the risk. For tenants with 1-15 locations, the math usually favors a flat-fee tool like CAMAudit.

What does CAMAudit find that justifies the audit fee?

CAMAudit runs 14 detection rules: management fee overcharge, pro-rata share error, gross-up violation, CAM cap violation, base year error, controllable expense cap, insurance overcharge, tax overallocation, utility overcharge, common area misclassification, landlord overhead pass-through, gross lease charge detection, excluded service charges, and true-up verification. Any one of these can result in a recoverable overcharge.

Can I use CAMAudit findings to negotiate with my landlord without hiring a professional?

Many tenants do. The full CAMAudit report includes the specific lease clause being violated, the calculation error, the dollar amount at issue, and a dispute letter draft citing your lease and applicable state law. For disputes in the $1,000-$10,000 range, this is often sufficient for direct negotiation. For larger or more complex disputes, the findings give an attorney or auditor a documented starting point.

Alternatives to Contingency CAM Audit Firms

Contingency firms take 30-50% of every dollar recovered. On a $5,000 overcharge, that is $1,500-$2,500 in fees - before you see a cent. CAMAudit charges $179 flat. You keep 100% of your recovery.

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Overall winner: CAMAudit

For tenants who want to keep recovery economics under control, CAMAudit is the clear winner because it charges a flat audit fee instead of taking a percentage of every dollar recovered. Contingency firms remain credible for very large portfolios where tenants want a full-service recovery partner.

The ROI Math on Contingency vs. Flat Fee

Contingency pricing sounds appealing - no upfront cost, and you only pay if something is found. But the math turns against tenants quickly:

Overcharge Found	Contingency Fee (40%)	You Keep	CAMAudit Flat Fee
$1,000	$400	$600	$179
$3,000	$1,200	$1,800	$179
$5,000	$2,000	$3,000	$179
$10,000	$4,000	$6,000	$179
$25,000	$10,000	$15,000	$179

At every recovery amount, the flat-fee model returns more to the tenant. The gap widens as the recovery grows. This table uses a 40% contingency rate - some firms charge 50%.

Comparing Your Options

Method	Cost	Turnaround	Contingency Cut
CAMAudit	$179 flat	Under 15 minutes	None - you keep 100%
Contingency audit firm	0 upfront	8-16 weeks	30-50% of recovery
CPA / hourly auditor	$5,000-$25,000	4-12 weeks	None (hourly)
Traditional lease attorney	$300-$700/hr	Varies	None (hourly)

Who Each Approach Fits

Contingency firm may fit if…

*You have 50+ locations and need portfolio-scale audit management
*The potential multi-year recovery is large enough to justify the percentage
*You want a firm to handle the full dispute process end-to-end

CAMAudit is right if…

*You have 1-15 locations and want to keep your full recovery
*You need findings in minutes to decide whether to escalate
*You want a dispute letter draft you can send directly to your landlord
*The overcharge amount doesn't justify a contingency firm's minimum engagement

How CAMAudit Works

1
Upload your documents
Upload your annual CAM reconciliation statement and commercial lease. PDFs, images, and scanned documents all supported.
2
AI extracts the data
CAMAudit uses AI-assisted extraction to pull expense figures, pro-rata share, management fee rates, cap provisions, and base year data from your documents.
3
14 detection rules run automatically
Each rule applies the formula from your lease to the figures on your reconciliation. Findings return in under 15 minutes.
4
Get your report and dispute letter
Unlock your full report for $179: a line-by-line breakdown of every finding, the dollar impact, and a dispute letter draft. No contingency cut - you keep every dollar recovered.

Pricing

1 audit

$179

$179 per audit

3 audits

$499

$166 per audit

5 audits

$799

$160 per audit

Every audit includes the full detection report and a dispute letter draft. 30-day money-back guarantee. No account required to start. No contingency fee - ever.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

Related Resources

Keep 100% of Your CAM Recovery

No contingency percentage. No recovery cut. CAMAudit charges $179 flat and returns findings in under 15 minutes.

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This page provides general educational information. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the most current law in your state. Consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.

The ROI Math on Contingency vs. Flat Fee

Contingency pricing sounds appealing - no upfront cost, and you only pay if something is found. But the math turns against tenants quickly:

Overcharge Found	Contingency Fee (40%)	You Keep	CAMAudit Flat Fee
$1,000	$400	$600	$179
$3,000	$1,200	$1,800	$179
$5,000	$2,000	$3,000	$179
$10,000	$4,000	$6,000	$179
$25,000	$10,000	$15,000	$179

At every recovery amount, the flat-fee model returns more to the tenant. The gap widens as the recovery grows. This table uses a 40% contingency rate - some firms charge 50%.

Method

Cost

Turnaround

Contingency Cut

CAMAudit

$179 flat

Under 15 minutes

None - you keep 100%

Contingency audit firm

0 upfront

8-16 weeks

30-50% of recovery

CPA / hourly auditor

$5,000-$25,000

4-12 weeks

None (hourly)

Traditional lease attorney

$300-$700/hr

Varies

None (hourly)

Who Each Approach Fits

Contingency firm may fit if…

*You have 50+ locations and need portfolio-scale audit management
*The potential multi-year recovery is large enough to justify the percentage
*You want a firm to handle the full dispute process end-to-end

CAMAudit is right if…

*You have 1-15 locations and want to keep your full recovery
*You need findings in minutes to decide whether to escalate
*You want a dispute letter draft you can send directly to your landlord
*The overcharge amount doesn't justify a contingency firm's minimum engagement

How CAMAudit Works

Upload your documents

Upload your annual CAM reconciliation statement and commercial lease. PDFs, images, and scanned documents all supported.

AI extracts the data

CAMAudit uses AI-assisted extraction to pull expense figures, pro-rata share, management fee rates, cap provisions, and base year data from your documents.

14 detection rules run automatically

Each rule applies the formula from your lease to the figures on your reconciliation. Findings return in under 15 minutes.

Get your report and dispute letter

Unlock your full report for $179: a line-by-line breakdown of every finding, the dollar impact, and a dispute letter draft. No contingency cut - you keep every dollar recovered.

Frequently Asked Questions