1. Preserve the audit deadline
Find the lease section covering statement delivery, objections, audit rights, and document access. Record the exact notice deadline before you investigate the math.
- Date the statement was received
- Number of days allowed to object
- Required notice method and recipient
- Whether payment is required while a dispute is reviewed
2. Collect enough detail to reproduce the bill
A one-page summary is rarely enough. Request the property general ledger, tenant allocation schedule, occupancy and gross-up calculation, major invoices, capital project support, and prior-year reconciliation.
3. Test the lease rules line by line
Recalculate the tenant share, separate controllable from non-controllable expenses, apply contractual caps, verify the administration fee base, and compare exclusions with individual statement lines.
- Ownership costs and landlord overhead
- Leasing commissions and legal fees
- Capital expenditures and reserves
- Costs reimbursed by insurance or other tenants
- Duplicate charges and related-party markups
4. Build an evidence-first question list
List each questioned amount, the relevant clause, the calculation difference, and the exact document needed to resolve it. Do not state that a charge is invalid until the lease and support establish that conclusion.