CAMAudit vs. Excel: CAM Reconciliation Spreadsheets vs. Purpose-Built Software
Excel is free, flexible, and universally understood. That's why most commercial landlords start with it for CAM reconciliation — and many never leave. If your portfolio is small and your leases are simple, a well-maintained spreadsheet can get the job done.
The problem isn't the tool. The problem is that CAM reconciliation is an error-prone process, and Excel amplifies that risk at every step: a single broken formula, a missed cap amendment, or a gross-up factor copied from last year's tab can produce statements that are internally consistent but contractually wrong. BOMA research finds that 40% of CAM reconciliations contain material errors — the majority of which originate in spreadsheet workflows.
What Excel does well for CAM reconciliation
Excel's strengths for CAM are real and worth acknowledging:
- Free and universally available — no software procurement, no per-seat licensing
- Completely flexible — custom formulas, non-standard lease structures, bespoke fee logic
- Auditable by anyone — accountants, attorneys, and tenant auditors all know how to read a spreadsheet
- Already integrated — your team knows it and your ERP can export to it
For a single-building portfolio with simple gross leases, Excel's flexibility may be more valuable than purpose-built software. But as portfolio size grows, or as lease complexity increases, Excel's weaknesses compound.
Where Excel breaks down for CAM reconciliation
No audit trail
Spreadsheets are easily overwritten. When a tenant disputes a charge, “I changed the formula last March” is not a defensible position. CAM reconciliation disputes regularly escalate to legal action — and your calculation trail needs to hold up in discovery. Excel provides no immutable record of what was calculated, when, or by whom.
No cap tracking or enforcement
Expense caps require per-tenant tracking across multiple lease years. In Excel, this typically means a custom column per tenant, updated manually each year, with no system to flag violations. When a lease is amended with a new cap structure, someone has to find the right column and update it. When they don't, the overcharge is invisible until a tenant auditor finds it.
No gross-up engine
BOMA 2024 gross-up calculations require specific formulas applied to specific expense categories at the correct occupancy threshold. Excel models this through manual formulas that must be updated as occupancy changes, as lease terms evolve, and as the BOMA standard is updated. One formula error propagates through every tenant's statement.
Person-dependent
The person who built the spreadsheet knows where the edge cases are. When that person leaves, the institutional knowledge goes with them. New staff inherit a workbook full of undocumented assumptions, copied-forward formulas, and manual adjustments they can't fully trace.
Error rates
A frequently-cited Raymond R. Panko study found that 88% of spreadsheets contain errors. BOMA reports that 40% of CAM reconciliations contain material errors. The overlap is not coincidental.
By the numbers
of CAM reconciliations contain material errors (BOMA industry research)
average annual CAM recovery per building
of tenants discover CAM discrepancies without hiring an auditor
Feature comparison
| Feature | Excel | CAMAudit |
|---|---|---|
| Gross-up calculation | Manual formulas, person-dependent | BOMA 2024 compliant, zero config |
| Expense cap tracking | Manual per-tenant columns, no enforcement | Automatic per-lease cap enforcement |
| Audit trail | None — spreadsheets are easily overwritten | Immutable finalized snapshots |
| SB 1103 export | Manual formatting required | One-click 18-month itemized export |
| Multi-year analysis | Complex cross-tab maintenance | Built-in base year drift detection |
| Setup time | Hours per building, annually | Minutes (CSV upload) — no formulas to maintain |
| AI GL analysis | Manual GL review (if done at all) | Advisory — CapEx/OpEx flags, audit risk patterns (Zero Data Retention) |
See CAMAudit pricing for full plan details. Essentials starts at $29/building/month (billed annually) or $35 month-to-month. First building is free.
The switching argument — export the same CSV you already produce
Moving from Excel to CAMAudit doesn't require a data migration or a new process. If your Excel model is built from a GL export — and virtually all are — the switch is: export that same CSV and upload it to CAMAudit instead of formatting it for a spreadsheet.
CAMAudit accepts CSV exports from any ERP: Yardi, MRI, AppFolio, RealPage, or any system with standard GL export functionality. The formulas, the BOMA gross-up logic, the cap enforcement — all of that is handled automatically. You get verifiable results without rebuilding your spreadsheet.
Already using Excel? Export your GL as a CSV — the same file your spreadsheet uses as source data. Upload it to CAMAudit. Get BOMA 2024 compliant results with error flags and recovery estimates in minutes. No consultant, no implementation project.
What tenant auditors see when you use Excel
Tenant auditors — using tools like Tango Analytics, Visual Lease, and LeaseQuery — are specifically looking for the errors that spreadsheet-based workflows produce: gross-up miscalculations, cap violations, expense misclassifications, and base year drift. These tools are purpose-built to find landlord errors. Their business model depends on finding them.
When an auditor finds an error in your Excel-based reconciliation, you have no audit trail to defend the original calculation. CAMAudit produces the same results those auditing tools look for — and catches them before the statement goes out, with a calculation trace that documents every formula applied.
28% of tenants discover CAM discrepancies without hiring a professional auditor. That means more than 1-in-4 tenants are running informal checks on your statements — likely using the same exported GL data you gave them.
Beyond CAM reconciliation
CAMAudit is a CRE FinOps platform — leakage detection, cap enforcement, SB 1103 compliance, demand letters, and tenant portal in one place. CAM reconciliation is the entry point. Revenue recovery is the outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use Excel alongside CAMAudit?
Yes — CAMAudit is designed to complement your existing workflow. Export your GL data as a CSV from your ERP, upload it to CAMAudit, and get a verified reconciliation alongside your spreadsheet. Many landlords use CAMAudit as an independent check on their Excel model before statements go out.
Can I import my existing Excel data into CAMAudit?
Yes. CAMAudit accepts CSV exports from any ERP — Yardi, MRI, AppFolio, RealPage, or any system with a GL export. If your Excel model is built from ERP data, export the source data and upload it directly. No migration, no reformatting required.
How long does setup take?
Minutes. Export your GL expense report as a CSV from your ERP, upload it to CAMAudit, and results are ready immediately. No configuration, no consultant, no implementation project. The first building is free with no credit card required.
Is CAMAudit more accurate than Excel?
For CAM reconciliation, yes. CAMAudit uses a deterministic calculation engine built specifically for BOMA 2024 gross-up, expense cap enforcement, and pro-rata allocation. Excel requires manual formula maintenance across hundreds of cells — BOMA research indicates 40% of spreadsheet-based reconciliations contain material errors. CAMAudit catches those errors automatically.
What if our spreadsheet logic is custom?
CAMAudit handles the standard CAM reconciliation logic — gross-up, pro-rata, caps, base year normalization — that most commercial leases require. Highly custom lease structures may require review. Contact us to discuss your specific lease terms.
Related comparisons
Related resources
Export your GL. See results in minutes.
Export the same CSV your Excel model uses as source data. Upload it to CAMAudit. Get BOMA 2024 compliant results with error flags and recovery estimates — from $29/building/month billed annually.
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