BOMA Help Desk: Trying to determine if a shared electrical room is part of my usable square footage or not in my retail store

Cody: J&J Wines; November 18, 2025

Hello,

I have a retail business in a small plaza in Ottawa. Both I and the landlord are fairly new to this building. I bought a business 3 years ago that has run in it for 25 years and she bought the building maybe a year before I took over that business. We are currently in a dispute over my square footage. She did a BOMA, however, the person who did the BOMA (not sure if they are actually accredited or not) added the shared electrical room as part of my square footage. This room was not previously counted in the old lease and the previous business owners have stated they never paid for it as such before. It houses the main power in for the building and all the individual main power shut offs for all the other stores. It is in it's own room, however, I need to pass through that room to use the emergency exit and to access the garbage bin outside. I also need access to another door in it that leads to another room that I use for storage. Other than that I may temporarily put garbage in it before bringing it to the dumpster and that is it. The person who did the BOMA also did it under the 1996 Office space standards. Not the newest retail standards.

How should I proceed with having that electrical room properly assessed to see if it truly falls under my square footage or common area space? And should the person who did the recent BOMA have used the most current measurement Retail guides? Or does the age of the building (1970s) play a factor into which standards to use?

Thank you for any help you are able to provide. I would happily provide any pictures or information needed to help make a decision.

Cody

David Fingret: Extreme Measures Inc.; November 20, 2025

Hi Cody,

Based on your description, it doesn’t sound like this area should be included in your Gross Leasable Area (GLA). Has the owner provided any justification for including it in your rent calculation?

If the area primarily serves the building and is essential to its operation, it would typically be classified as Service and Amenity Area. However, if you're actively using part of the space and the mechanical equipment can be clearly delineated, it may be possible to establish a lease line—allocating a portion to your GLA and the remainder as common area.

The age of the building isn’t a determining factor. While applying the BOMA 1996 Office Standard to a retail property may not be appropriate, the specific version of the BOMA Retail Standard used (2010, 2020, or 2025) is less critical. Ultimately, the landlord selects the standard, and as long as it’s agreed upon in the lease, that version governs.

Thanks,
David