Burger franchise billing review

Burger franchise lease overcharges: what can you verify?

An unexpected CAM or NNN charge is a reason to investigate, not yet an established overcharge. Compare the lease, annual statement, and backup for that location before assigning a tenant-level dollar amount.

Start with a free lease preview

Use three labels for every finding

Question: The statement or lease suggests something to check.
Documented difference: The available figures or clauses do not match; the reason may still be unknown.
Verified amount: The applicable lease terms, source records, allocation, and payment credits support a tenant-level calculation.

Five billing patterns to investigate

1. A share that does not match the lease

What you may see: The annual statement uses a percentage or square-footage denominator you do not recognize.

What to verify: Compare the lease and amendments with the dated center area schedule and allocation worksheet.

2. A cost category that may be excluded

What you may see: Roof, paving, leasing, or other major charges appear under a broad CAM heading.

What to verify: Read the lease definition and exceptions, then obtain the underlying invoice and any amortization schedule.

3. A fee calculated on the wrong base

What you may see: A management or administrative percentage appears larger than the clause seems to allow.

What to verify: Request the fee worksheet and identify which expenses were included in its base.

4. Estimated payments that may not be fully credited

What you may see: The statement credit differs from the installments shown in your own payment ledger.

What to verify: Reconcile both ledgers by month, including reversals, late payments, and credits.

5. A shared service billed to the wrong group

What you may see: Drive-through, parking, trash, grease, or utility costs appear to be spread across spaces that may not benefit equally.

What to verify: Check the lease allocation rule and request service invoices, meter records, or cost-pool schedules.

A credit example

Suppose a store's own ledger shows twelve $500 estimated CAM payments ($6,000), while the annual statement credits $5,500. The visible difference is $500. Check both ledgers and any adjustments before treating it as an amount owed back to the tenant.

Illustrative arithmetic only; it does not describe a real SaveOnLease customer or a typical recovery.

Across multiple stores

Keep separate rows for each lease, landlord, statement year, billed share, and finding status. Similar-looking charges can have different contract treatment. Add amounts across locations only after each location's calculation is supported.

For a broader process, use the burger restaurant lease audit guide and the CAM reconciliation checklist.

Check your own lease and statement

Start with a free lease preview. Add the annual statement and up to four supporting PDFs before checkout if available. The $49.99 report identifies visible questions and labels what remains unverified.

Upload a lease for a free preview