What Is BOMA?
Building Owners and Managers Association
BOMA stands for the Building Owners and Managers Association, and is the premiere trade association for the office building industry, with over 20,000 members. BOMA International currently consists of nearly 100 North American and 14 overseas affiliates. Individuals join BOMA through local BOMA associations. Principal members own or manage over 9 billion sq.ft. of commercial office space, while associate members provide the goods and services needed to operate those properties.
Founded in 1907, the BOMA mission is simple: to actively and responsibly represent and promote the commercial real estate industry’s interests through effective leadership and advocacy; the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information; and professional development.
The Building Owners and Managers Association International developed the newest 2010 standards, as well as previous versions (see History). A diverse group of real estate industry professionals participated in the two-year revision process, including owners and managers of multi-tenant office buildings, managers of owner-occupied facilities, asset managers, leasing professionals, brokers, architects, interior designers, space planners and appraisers. The result is a consensus document that has gained the approval of the American National Standards Institute, and has repeatedly been recognized by the courts as THE national standard, if not International. The purpose of the Standards are to provide a standard means for the definition and calculation of Rentable space, as it pertains to all types of buildings. It is to permit communication and computation on a clear and understandable basis. It is also to allow comparison of values on the basis of generally agreed upon methods of measurement.
An American National Standard is intended as a guide to aid the manufacturer, the consumer, and the general public. It’s existence of course does not preclude anyone from manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, or using products, processes or procedures not conforming to the standard. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) does not develop standards and will not give an interpretation of any American National Standard. These standards are subject to periodic review, and users are reminded to use the latest editions. The BOMA Standards for Measuring Office, Retail, Industrial and Residential Space have all been ANSI-certified.
If 10 professionals measure a building and calculate 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 Standards allow 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.