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How much will Lease Auditing
cost my company?
There are no up front or fixed fees involved. A-Z
Media Lease Auditing earns fees based on a
percentage only after recoveries are received or
credits are applied by you.
How long does the audit take?
A-Z Media lease auditors work as fast as they can
without sacrificing the quality of the audit. The
speed will have a lot to do with the number of
leases and their complexity. If there are claims to
be made it is likely you will start seeing results
within the first month.
How do I know what’s going on?
A-Z Media will send you a monthly status report of
the audit findings. We are also as close as your
phone or email and happy to answer questions at any
time.
How much time will this take away from me and my
employees?
The impact on staff is minimal. Initially A-Z Media
will need copies of all lease and reconciliation
documents. Beyond that we will need a contact person
who can make decisions about pursuing potential
claims and who can send out letters that we have
written for you to landlords.
Will this process damage my landlord
relationships?
The only contact with landlords will be regarding
claims that have been authorized by you. All claims
are settled in an amicable and professional manner
in order to maintain a positive relationship between
the tenant and each landlord. Our policy is to be
firm but fair based on the intent of the lease
documents signed by you and the landlord.
Our accounting department works very hard to
avoid paying over charges to our landlords. Do you
really expect to find much?
Experience has shown us that we are likely to find
over charges in approximately 90% of the leases we
audit. A-Z Media auditors have reviewed thousands of
leases and have tremendous specialized skill in this
area.
If that’s the case, are the landlords trying to
rip us off?
In the vast majority of cases, definitely not.
However, a landlords’ staff is usually over worked
and limited on time just as yours is. Sometimes they
make mistakes.
How will I get paid by the landlord?
You will be reimbursed directly from the landlord,
not through A-Z Media. The reimbursement will come
in the form of a check or a credit toward the
current billing. In some cases, the credit will be
applied to future billings over a period of months.
What is my risk in doing a lease audit?
None. We accept all the risk since we are only paid
if you receive recoveries.
How can you afford to bear this kind of risk?
In the United States there are literally billions of
dollars lost annual through landlord over charges
and resulting over payments by tenants.
Why isn’t my staff catching these over charges?
Most retail lease tenants do not have accounts
payable staff that has the time nor the training to
be able to interpret complex leases. Thus they are
unprepared to determine whether charges coincide
accurately with lease provisions. It is not as if
you staff is not trying. This is a very time
consuming, specialized field.
What areas do you audit?
A-Z Media audits any lease clauses where you are
charged money. These might include such items as:
common area maintenance, insurance, property taxes,
utilities, landlord responsibility costs, percentage
rent, minimum rent, CPI adjustments, square footage
measurements and tenant improvement allowances.
How far back do you go historically in your lease
auditing?
A-Z Media auditors usually go back five to seven years.
I am concerned about releasing such sensitive
internal information. What can you do to allay my
fears in this area?
A-Z Media pledges in writing to hold all proprietary
information in strict confidence. The information
will only be discussed with you, the tenant, the
landlord and only upon your request with any additional party. |
