Starbucks Salinas Valley Memorial CA: true-up overcharge case study
A public-record retail CAM case study showing $3,076 in true-up overcharges: landlord billed $11,500 reconciliation true-up against a correct amount of $8,424.
What happened
Starbucks' Salinas Valley lease requires monthly CAM estimates with an annual true-up. For 2022: total operating expenses were $285,600, Starbucks' 4% share was $11,424, estimates paid were $3,000, making the correct true-up $8,424. The landlord billed $11,500, which is $3,076 above the correct amount, well outside the $57.12 tolerance threshold.
Findings from the pipeline
Rule 18: Estimated Payment True-Up Error
high confidence
$3,076
True-up billed (11500.00) exceeds expected (8424.00) by 3076.00
Math proof
Tenant share: 285600.00 x 0.04 = 11424.00; Estimates billed: 3000.00; Expected true-up: 11424.00 - 3000.00 = 8424.00; Landlord billed: 11500.00; Overcharge: 11500.00 - 8424.00 = 3076.00
Statement references
- Reconciliation True-Up
Lease evidence
- Monthly CAM estimates with annual reconciliation true-up.
- Pro-rata share: 4.00% (3,840 SF / 96,000 SF).
Why this matters
True-up errors are often invisible because tenants focus on the total annual CAM cost rather than checking whether the year-end settlement correctly accounts for estimated payments already made. The math is simple but requires knowing both the annual total and the monthly estimates, data that appears in different parts of the reconciliation statement.
Dispute letter draft excerpt
Request for Cooperative Review of Certain Line Items. The automated review flagged a true-up overcharge of $3,076.00 : billed true-up of $11,500 exceeds the expected $8,424 (tenant share $11,424 minus estimates paid $3,000).
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Public-record note
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