What is an audit-window handoff?

It is the point when a lease administration team sees that a CAM reconciliation may have a lease-defined review deadline and routes the file to a CAM audit partner before timing becomes the main risk.

Does every lease use the same audit window?

No. The review period, trigger date, notice method, and document-access steps depend on the signed lease and amendments. The handoff should flag the clause instead of assuming a standard period.

Who should own the client conversation?

The lease administration firm should own the file-readiness conversation. The audit partner should own the findings review. Counsel should handle rights-sensitive notices or legal strategy.

What documents should be sent first?

Send the lease, amendments, reconciliation statement, current estimate, proof of receipt date if available, and any prior notices about audit rights.

How does the handoff help lease administration firms?

It turns a deadline warning into a value-add workflow. The client sees the firm protecting timing, file quality, and review options before the issue becomes urgent.

Audit-window handoff for lease administration firms

Lease administration teams see the timing risk before anyone else. They receive the reconciliation. They know where the lease and amendments live. They may also know when the client received the statement and whether a notice clock has started.

That makes lease administration a strong front door for CAM audit referrals. The value is not drama. It is process control: spot the lease-defined audit window, collect the right file, and hand it to the audit partner while the client still has options.

This audit-window handoff workflow gives lease administration firms a repeatable way to do that.

The timing screen

When a CAM reconciliation arrives, run this screen:

Question	Why it matters
What date did the client receive the statement?	Some leases start the notice clock from receipt.
Which lease clause controls audit rights?	The clause may define notice, inspection, and review limits.
Are all amendments attached?	An amendment may change timing or exclusions.
Is the statement itemized?	A summary total may require a follow-up request.
Did the client pay a true-up?	Payment records help match billed amounts to the statement.

Do not guess the deadline. Mark the clause, mark the date source, and route the file.

The handoff trigger

Create a handoff when any of these are true:

The statement shows a large true-up.
The audit-rights clause has a short notice period.
The lease has caps, exclusions, base-year language, or gross-up language.
The client has more than one unreviewed year.
The file is missing amendments or receipt-date proof.

The point is not to prove a finding. The point is to avoid treating a timing issue like a normal filing task.

The client email

Use plain wording:

Subject: CAM reconciliation timing check

Hi [Client],

We logged the latest CAM reconciliation for [Property]. One item needs a timing check: the lease has an audit-rights section that may set a notice window after the reconciliation is received.

We recommend sending the lease, amendments, and statement to a CAM audit partner for a quick file-readiness review. This does not mean there is a dispute. It means we should confirm whether the file should be reviewed before any lease-defined deadline passes.

We can prepare the document package if you approve.

[Name]

This message is clear without making legal calls.

The file package

Build the handoff package in this order:

Item	Required?	Notes
Executed lease	Yes	Include exhibits and schedules.
Amendments	Yes	Put them in date order.
CAM reconciliation	Yes	Include every page and backup sent by the landlord.
Receipt proof	If available	Email date, portal notice, mail receipt, or client note.
Payment record	If available	Helps confirm estimate and true-up amounts.
Prior-year statements	If available	Useful for trend and cap checks.

Use a secure file-transfer method for lease and financial records. NIST guidance on secure file exchange is a useful baseline for process design, especially when files contain sensitive business data.

What to ask the audit partner

Ask for a short triage answer:

Is the document set enough for a first review?
Which clause appears to control the audit window?
Is there a timing concern that counsel should review?
Which detection areas are worth checking first?
What is missing from the file?

That answer helps the lease administration firm advise the client without stepping into the audit role.

Where CAMAudit fits

CAMAudit supports the audit partner after the handoff. The partner uploads the package, runs the detection workflow, reviews the clause and statement evidence, and delivers findings under the partner's brand.

For the lease administration firm, the offer is simple: you protect the client's timing and document quality. You do not need to build a full CAM audit practice from scratch.

Use the document collection checklist to build the intake package. For the full engagement flow, use the CAM audit workflow guide. If the client has many sites or many years, use the multi-year, multi-location orchestration guide.

Sources used

NIST, Security Considerations for Exchanging Files Over the Internet: https://csrc.nist.gov/files/pubs/shared/itlb/itlbul2020-08.pdf
CAMAudit partner workflow resources and lease administration document-collection patterns.

Audit-window handoff for lease administration firms