How to audit your TMI bill without hiring a consultant

You do not have to accept your TMI reconciliation on trust, and you do not always have to pay someone to check it. There are four ways to audit an Ontario TMI / Additional Rent bill. Here is what each one costs, what it catches, and when it is worth it.

1. A contingency CAM auditor

These firms audit your reconciliation and take a percentage of whatever they recover. They are thorough, but they usually only take on large tenants, because a cut of a small recovery is not worth their time. If you occupy a single unit, most will pass on the job.

2. Your own accountant

An accountant can check the arithmetic and the HST, and they already know your books. The gap is the lease. Most reconciliation errors turn on a specific clause, an exclusion, a fee base, or a share percentage, and a general accountant may not read the lease line by line. Expect an hourly bill.

3. Do it yourself with the lease and a spreadsheet

This is free and completely doable. Pull your lease, find the exclusions clause, the fee base, and your share percentage, then check each one against the statement. The catch is time and the risk of missing a clause you did not know to look for. If you are comfortable reading a lease, it works.

4. Software that reads both for you

A tool like the free check reads your lease and your statement, compares every charge to your lease terms with HST included, and flags what does not reconcile, each item tied to the clause. It is fast, it costs nothing, and it will not skip a clause because it checks all of them. What it does not do is replace a lawyer if you end up in a real dispute.

Which one is right for you

For most small and mid-size tenants, start with the software or a DIY pass, both free, just to see whether there is anything to chase. If the numbers are large or the landlord digs in, bring in your accountant or a commercial-lease lawyer. Save the contingency auditor for a big recovery. Whatever you choose, the point is the same: do not sign off on a reconciliation you have not read.

Start free: upload your lease and statement for a free check, or read the Ontario TMI & Additional Rent guide first.

TMI Proof checks your lease and statement; it is not a law firm and nothing here is legal or tax advice. Figures and rules are general, and your lease and Ontario law govern. Confirm each finding with your accountant or a commercial-lease lawyer before acting.