Applicable to all commercial asset classes: Office, Enclosed Shopping Center, Health Care, Light Industrial, Multi-Unit Residential Buildings, Open Air Retail, Universal.

Buildings shall be deemed eligible to participate in the BOMA BEST Building Certification Program if the following conditions are met at the time of application:

1. 1. In addition to the occupancy rate guidance provided, the building must have at least one active occupant in the building.
   2. The Applicant must select the Questionnaire type that matches the definition of that building’s asset class. Building Definitions are available here.
   3. Buildings in the Portfolio Stream must operate under a common management company, using common management policies.

Occupancy rate represents the percentage of actively leased floor area compared to the total gross leasable area:

(Average actively leased area in past 12 months / Total Net Leasable Area) x 100

Occupancy rate is based on the percentage of the gross leasable area that is actively leased.

Vacancy rate refers to the percentage of the gross leasable area that is not leased.

This is different from the occupant density which is based on the percentage of occupants actually inside the building on a given day.

Our eligibility criteria apply to % of building leased.

If the building’s occupancy rate (not occupant density) has been 50% or higher for the past 12 months, the building is eligible for BOMA BEST Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification levels.

If the building’s occupancy rate (not occupant density) has been below 50% for the past 12 months, the building is eligible for the BOMA BEST Certified level only.