Glossary
Building Operations
Security Services
Guard staffing, monitoring, and access control for common areas. It's a controllable, staffing-heavy cost pool where coverage billed beyond what one property actually uses can inflate the CAM pool.
Firm impact
Confirm the billed guard hours and headcount match the property's actual coverage. Portfolio-wide security staffing sometimes gets billed in full to a single property.
How this gets abused
A landlord with a five-property portfolio bills each property for a full-time roving security supervisor. The supervisor actually splits time across all five buildings, but the client's property absorbs 100% of the cost.
Practitioner note
Request the security staffing schedule and compare billed hours against on-site coverage. Look for portfolio-level positions billed in full to a single property, a pattern that overlaps with landlord overhead review.
Related terms
FAQ
Questions about security services
What should my firm check on a security services line item?
Request the staffing schedule and guard hours, then compare them against what the property actually needs. Watch for shared staff billed in full to one building.
Is security a controllable or uncontrollable expense?
It's typically controllable, though the specific lease definition governs. Confirm the classification in the lease before assuming it falls under a CAM cap.
You know the term. Now check the math.
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