If 10 professionals measure a building and caluculate its rentable areas, you of course will have 10 different answers. No two people will measure an area as complex as a building exactly the same.

The BOMA Standard allows for this discrepancy by provision of a 2% variance when comparing site measurements. That is, if 2 sets of calculations are within 2% of each other, they are deemed to be equal according to BOMA. If they differ by more than 2%, BOMA International recommends the opinion of an unbiased third party be sought to assist in resolving the matter.

The Standard also makes note of another important fact: it is not uncommon for an area calculated from the building's design plans to differ from the area measured on site. That is, for an accurate representation of a building's area, an as-built plan is required.

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