Glossary
Building Operations
Common Area Utilities
Electricity, water, and gas for shared spaces, like lobbies, parking lot lighting, and common restrooms. CAMAudit's Utility Overcharge rule tests this pool for double-billing.
Firm impact
Overcharges happen when private-suite usage gets folded into the shared common-area meter, or when a tenant already paying utilities directly also gets billed through CAM for the same usage.
How this gets abused
A tenant pays its own electric meter directly to the utility company. The landlord's CAM statement still includes an allocated share of building electricity that covers the tenant's private suite usage, billing the same power twice.
Practitioner note
Check whether the client has a direct-pay utility arrangement, then confirm the CAM utility line item covers only genuinely shared usage. CAMAudit's Utility Overcharge rule flags this double-billing pattern when direct-pay provisions exist.
Related terms
FAQ
Questions about common area utilities
Can a tenant get billed for utilities twice?
Yes, this happens when a tenant pays a direct utility meter but the CAM statement also includes an allocated utility charge covering the same usage.
Does CAMAudit catch double-billed utilities?
Yes. CAMAudit's Utility Overcharge rule checks for this pattern whenever the lease shows a direct-pay utility provision alongside a CAM utility line item.
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