UrbanMeasure BOMA Services FAQ
ANSI/BOMA measurements for office, industrial, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use buildings. We serve primarily Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan, and we accommodate many projects throughout the rest of Canada.
UrbanMeasure measures commercial buildings to the ANSI/BOMA standards used in Canadian leases. The four questions below cover the points landlords, brokers, and tenants ask first: which standard applies, whether a single suite is enough, what an area certificate is, and how Occupant Area differs from Rentable Area.
What are the different BOMA standards, and how do we know which applies?
BOMA International publishes a separate measurement standard for each major property type:
- Office — ANSI/BOMA Z65.1 (current edition 2024)
- Industrial — ANSI/BOMA Z65.2
- Gross Areas of a Building — ANSI/BOMA Z65.3
- Multi-Family and Hospitality — ANSI/BOMA Z65.4
- Retail — ANSI/BOMA Z65.5
- Mixed-Use — ANSI/BOMA Z65.6
Choose the standard that matches the building’s primary use, or the edition named in the lease.
- A restaurant inside a shopping centre is Retail.
- A six-plex is Multi-Family.
- A small manufacturing plant is Industrial.
- A downtown office tower is Office.
If the building has no single primary use, Mixed-Use applies to the whole building. Each suite inside it is still measured with the single-use standard that fits that suite. The Gross Area standard is for overall building size and valuation, not for setting a tenant’s rentable square footage.
Do we need to measure the entire building to calculate lease space for my unit?
Only if you need Rentable Area. A single unit can be measured for Occupant Area. That is the size of the demised premises, the space the tenant occupies, and it is a sound starting point for a lease.
Rentable Area cannot be calculated from that suite alone. Rentable Area adds the tenant’s share of floor and building common space. That allocation needs the rest of the floor and the building.
For a BOMA Rentable Area figure and an area certificate based on complete building data, measure the whole building. A suite-only job is Occupant Area only.
What is an area certificate?
An area certificate is the written record of Occupant Area and, when the building has been measured, Rentable Area. It names the property, the suite or building, and the BOMA standard and edition used so landlords and tenants can put a number in the lease.
UrbanMeasure prepares area certificates for commercial rental units (CRUs) and full-building BOMA files. Some lenders or leases also require a certificate signed by an Alberta Land Surveyor. Say so when you book if that is a condition of the deal.
What is the difference between Occupant Area and Rentable or Leasable Area?
The difference is common space: Rentable Area adds the tenant’s share of it to Occupant Area. Occupant Area (also called Usable Area) is the space the tenant occupies and controls: offices, sales floor, workstations, and storage inside the demised premises. It is not the gross floor area of the whole building.
Rentable Area — Gross Leasable Area in retail — is Occupant Area plus that tenant’s share of common space: corridors, washrooms, lobbies, mechanical rooms, and amenity areas allocated under the chosen standard.
A tenant with 10,000 square feet of Occupant Area and a 15% load factor has 11,500 square feet of Rentable Area. Rent and many CAM clauses run on Rentable Area. Occupant Area is the space the tenant actually gets.
What is a load factor?
Load factor is Rentable Area divided by Occupant Area, calculated as a percentage or a multiplier. It represents the tenant’s share of common space. Load factors in Western Canadian buildings often fall between about 10% and 25%, depending on floor plan, amenity space, and the lease calculation.
What if the lease names an older BOMA edition?
Use the edition written into the lease unless both parties agree to update it. Office editions from 2010 and 2017 are still common in Alberta and B.C. A 2024 measure of the same floor can produce a different Rentable Area. Name the edition on the certificate.
Is a medical or dental clinic measured as office or retail?
Under the current office standard, a clinic that serves the public is classified as retail, not office. That changes the boundary rules and how load is applied.
Where do you provide BOMA measurements?
We serve primarily Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan, and we accommodate many projects throughout the rest of Canada. Some towns carry a travel fee.
How long does a BOMA measurement take?
Once the on-site measurements are completed we typically send the completed documents within three business days. For most of our projects we provide hourly estimates outlining cost and the time required on-site. A single CRU is faster than a multi-floor tower. Access to all areas within a property is required if Rentable Area is part of the order.
Are the measurements insured?
Yes. Commercial measurement work is backed by $5 million in errors and omissions insurance.
Can BOMA numbers be compared to Alberta RMS?
No. RMS is a residential listing standard for above-grade living area. BOMA is a commercial lease standard. They are not interchangeable.
Related services
Related guides
- Urban Measure Inc. RMS Services FAQ
- Urban Measure Inc. As-Built Services FAQ
- Urban Measure Inc. Media Services FAQ
Book BOMA measurement at urbanmeasure.com or call 403-827-4420 (Calgary), 587-598-4420 (Edmonton), or 1-844-504-4420.