09/09/2026
So get this, a tenant budgeted $500 a month for operating costs. Then a year-end bill showed up for an extra $6,000. 🚩
Here’s why. CAM fees (common area maintenance) are what tenants pay toward shared costs like landscaping, snow removal, and parking lot repairs. Most leases charge an “estimated” amount monthly, then reconcile against actual costs at year-end.
One roof repair or repaved parking lot can spike that reconciliation bill way past what anyone budgeted for, and most tenants never see it coming.
The move: always ask for a CAM cap in your lease before you sign, a limit on how much your share can increase year over year.
Tag a tenant who’s never actually read their CAM reconciliation 👇