Can I demand a cash refund for past overpayments or only a credit?

Most commercial leases allow the landlord to apply overcharge corrections as a credit against future CAM estimates rather than issuing a check. Whether you can demand a cash refund depends on your specific lease language. For large amounts or in cases where you are nearing lease expiration, it is worth specifying in your dispute letter that you want a cash refund rather than a credit.

What if my landlord disagrees with the CAMAudit findings?

Landlord disagreement is common in the first round of a dispute. The typical response is a request for your methodology, which is where the CAMAudit findings report is valuable since it shows the specific lease clause, the calculation, and the resulting overcharge. If the landlord continues to dispute after reviewing the report, the next step is escalation to informal mediation, formal arbitration (if your lease requires it), or legal action.

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What happens if I find CAM overcharges

Angel Campa, FounderCAMAudit

Last updated: April 2026

Finding overcharges is the beginning of the process, not the end. Once the CAMAudit scan surfaces specific violations, the next step is a formal written dispute to your landlord citing the specific lease provisions and the dollar amounts. Most disputes resolve with a credit on future CAM estimates or a check for the overpayment. The dispute letter draft feature in CAMAudit generates the initial letter automatically.

TL;DR

Overcharges that you find but do not dispute are overcharges you pay again next year; the dispute process is the only way to stop the billing error from repeating.

Who this is for

Tenants who have already run an audit or strongly suspect overcharges and want to understand what the dispute process looks like before they start.

Who this is not for

Tenants who have not yet run any audit and are only hypothetically wondering about the process; start with the scan first and let the findings drive the decision about whether to dispute.

What CAMAudit Checks in This Scenario

Rule 3

Management Fee Overcharge

Provides exact dollar overcharge for dispute letter.

Rule 4

Pro-Rata Share Error

Calculates the total effect on all line items.

Rule 6

CAM Cap Violation

Identifies the amount above the cap limit.

Rule 12

Common Area Misclassification

Lists each misclassified item by name and amount.

What to Do Next

1Review the CAMAudit findings report and note each violation, the relevant lease clause, and the dollar amount.
2Use the dispute letter draft feature to generate a formal written objection based on the findings.
3Customize the letter with your specific facts and send it to your landlord by email with read receipt or certified mail.
4Keep copies of all correspondence and record the date of submission.
5Allow the landlord the response period specified in your lease, typically 30 to 60 days.
6If the landlord agrees, confirm the correction amount in writing and track the credit application.

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What happens after a CAM audit finds overcharges?

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Next Best Step

Choose your next move

Scenario pages should bridge from diagnosis into the dispute path and audit proof.

What is a CAM audit?

Use the audit process if you still need to validate the billing error.

See the CAM dispute guide

Use the dispute playbook if the issue is already active.

Start Free Audit

Run the free audit once you are ready to quantify the overcharge.

Ready to skip the reading and document the overcharge directly?

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Relevant Tenant Types

Retail Store Medical Office

Related Scenarios

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Related Resources

Tenant TypeRetail Store Tenant TypeMedical Office ResourcesCAM Overcharge Detection Guides ToolsFree CAM Audit Tools GlossaryCAM Glossary

Frequently asked questions

Need to extract lease terms before your audit?

A CAM audit is only as accurate as your lease data. lextract.io extracts 126 structured fields from any commercial lease PDF: CAM definitions, pro-rata share, caps, base year, and audit rights. So you have the exact terms your landlord is supposed to follow.

Go to lextract.io

This page provides general educational information. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the most current law in your state. Consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.