Frequently Asked Questions

What is the BOMA BESt Certification Program?
BOMA BESt is BOMA Canada’s national environmental certification program for existing commercial buildings. It is the next evolution of BOMA Go Green and Go Green Plus and evaluates the environmental performance and management of commercial buildings.

The Go Green Best Practices are the minimum standard, and are required for any level of certification. For users that also go through the Go Green Plus assessment, higher levels of certification are determined by the building’s score.

What do the four levels of BOMA BESt Certification mean?
BOMA BESt Level 1 – Meet Go Green Best Practices
BOMA BESt Level 2 – Meet Go Green Best Practices
                                    – Achieve 70-79% on Go Green Plus assessment
BOMA BESt Level 3 – Meet Go Green Best Practices
                                    – Achieve 80-89% on Go Green Plus assessment
BOMA BESt Level 4 – Meet Go Green Best Practices
                                    – Achieve 90-100% on Go Green Plus assessment

Why is BOMA BESt Certification good for my building?
When it comes to leasing office space, consumers are still primarily focused on matters such as location, security, amenities, building prestige and, of course, pricing. As our society becomes more environmentally conscious, there is a need to develop appropriate, practical performance standards that optimize our use of finite resources. BOMA BESt certification shows your tenants and clients that your management is focused on environmental stewardship and sound environmental practices.

BOMA BESt certification demonstrates social responsibility, and commercial building owners are seeing tremendous financial and tangible benefits. BOMA BESt empowers your management team and is a great learning tool. The people who are actually managing the building to participate in the process, identify actions for improvement and monitor the progress within the BOMA BESt framework.
BOMA BESt certified buildings go through an independent third-party verification process. This makes sure that you are meeting the environmental standards.

Certified buildings will also be entitled to display their BOMA BESt certification, including a framed certificate, window decals, and customizable banners and posters with the BOMA BESt branding. Certified buildings are also recognized on BOMA Canada’s website and on their local websites. These are all noticeable ways to publicize the building's superior performance and management.

What criteria does BOMA BESt focus on?
All BOMA BESt certified buildings must meet the Go Green Best Practices including having an energy audit, energy management and reduction plan, water audit, a recycling program, hazardous materials management, indoor environment management and tenant communications. The Go Green Plus assessment includes all of the Go Green Best Practices in six sections: Energy, Water, Waste Reductiion and Site, Emissions and Effluents, Indoor Environment and Environmental Management System.

Can any asset class pursue BOMA BESt Certification?
All types of buildings are eligible for BOMA BESt certification.
BOMA BESt Level 1 (Go Green Best Practices) applies to all asset classes. Certification to BOMA BESt Levels 2-4 requires use of the Go Green Plus questionnaire which currently applies only to commercial office and office parks.

As additional modules for assessment come online as part of the BOMA BESt program, new applications for those types of assets (e.g. shopping centres, industrial or retail strip malls, multi-unit residential) must apply under the new module. Properties previously certified through the office module will be required to move to the appropriate module for the asset upon recertification.

What is my local BOMA's role in the BOMA BESt program?
The BOMA associations in Canada deliver the BOMA BESt program within their respective regions. They administer the program, approving access to the online system, acting as a resource for any questions, arranging verifier site visits, and awarding the certification.

How long is the certification valid?
The BOMA BESt certification is valid for 3 years.


BOMA BESt PROCESS