Once you've signed a commercial real estate lease, it's tempting to simply file it away and focus on the other needs of your business; however, doing so could be costly to your business. Periodically auditing all of your commercial leases can help you spot errors and potentially lower your occupancy costs. Here are some tips to help you make the most of the audit process:

Your monthly payments to your company's landlords aren't as simple as they may seem. Typically, commercial leases require you to pay a mixture of rent and expenses. Calculating both parts of the payment can be a complicated process, making them open to errors. Given that, somehow, landlords are more likely to make mistakes in their favor than in yours, it is wise to periodically do a commercial lease audit and make sure that you're paying what you should.

A commercial lease audit is a detailed comparison of what you are paying to what you should be paying. Typically, the auditor will look at what is billed to you in CAM and triple-net charges and compare them to the building's actual expenses through the lens of what your lease says you should be paying. If the landlord is overcharging you, you should be eligible for a refund. Here are some tips to help you through the process.