Frequently asked questions

Download the CSP COVID-19 Guide for information and alternative paths if your property was affected by the pandemic.

Properties impacted by the pandemic and applying in 2021 must follow IREM guidance and may be eligible for points for following pandemic protocols. Office properties, medical office buildings, and shopping centers may need to adjust energy benchmarking through 2023.

If building exteriors such as hardscapes, parking lots, and landscaped areas support the property’s sustainability initiatives, the square footage of those exteriors can contribute up to 7,500 square feet toward the minimum total of 25,000 square feet required to achieve the IREM Certified Sustainable Property certification.

Each portion of the property that meets the certification prerequisites for that property type must be certified separately. In the example above, the property would have to apply for separate IREM Certified Sustainable Property certifications under the office, multifamily, and retail versions of the program, and only those portions of the property that meet the prerequisites for that property type would be eligible for certification and able to claim CSP status upon successful certification.

The IREM Certified Sustainable Property certification is for existing properties. The property must be at least 18 months from substantial completion or repositioning and at least 75% occupied to qualify for the certification.

For new construction developments, IREM recommends that you establish your property management and operations program according to the standards of the IREM Certified Sustainable Property certification. You can then apply for the certification at the appropriate time following completion and lease-up, once those prerequisites are met.

Yes. You can use the certification standards and tools as a framework for establishing a cost-saving, value-enhancing sustainability program. The program includes all of the templates, checklists, questionnaires, and tools you need to start a sustainability program from scratch.

Start with the Baseline Requirements, which lay the foundation for your sustainability program through benchmarking, policies, and self-assessments. Then begin with the most practical point activities for the property and work your way through the more difficult activities.

No. Send your policies to IREM at sustainability@irem.org once at the beginning of your participation in the program. IREM will place them on file to apply to all of your certification applications. This is an excellent way to save time when working through multiple certifications.

Note: your proprietary information will be kept secure and will not be shared with any third parties.

The application fee is payable at the time of application on the application platform. You can add one or multiple applications to your shopping cart and pay the fee(s) by credit card.

The application fee covers the initial review and any subsequent reviews after you submit any required corrections to your application.

IREM developed the program with the Yardi Energy Efficiency Grant, awarded to the Institute and other leading organizations to create programs and resources that reduce the energy consumption of office, residential, and mixed-used properties. The grant helps to keep the application fees reasonable.

IREM is committed to the certification program as an accessible and affordable recognition so that IREM Members and others in the industry can demonstrate quality, responsible management.

You may set the property’s baseline going back three years from the date you begin working on the certification for the property. For example, if you begin working on a certification on August 22, 2019, you may set the baseline beginning January 1, 2016, and choose any year-over-year period in that timeframe to show the performance improvement.

IREM is an ENERGY STAR Partner and strongly recommends using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark and track energy, water, and waste.

If you use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark and track energy and water consumption, use:

• Site EUI for as much of the property you are able to track
• Year-over-year water consumption in kgals for as much of the property you are able to track

Most properties submit standard reports from ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager such as the Energy and Water Performance Report to prove that they have achieved performance improvement points.

If you do not use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, you may submit year-over-year energy and water metrics. Email sustainability@irem.org if you have any questions.

Yes. You can qualify for the IREM Certified Sustainable Property Volume Program if you have a sustainability program for your portfolio and:

• Commit to certifying 10+ properties
• Do at least one of the following:
  • Publish a sustainability or corporate responsibility report largely in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
  • Participate in the GRESB assessment
  • Participate in RobecoSAM’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment, the basis for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index family
  • Respond to the CDP

Volume Program participants receive the following benefits:

• Equivalency analysis to determine which certification requirements are covered by your existing sustainability program
• Customized certification materials with equivalencies removed
• Expedited certification process
• Discounted application fees
• Recognition by IREM

After enrolling, companies are eligible for the Volume Program for three years, after which they may re-enroll. Volume Program participants may certify as many properties as desired in each year of eligibility, with a total of at least 10 properties certified by the end of eligibility.

To participate in the Volume Program, enroll at the CSP application platform. You’ll be required to explain and provide documentation on your company’s portfolio-level policies and programs that align with items on the CSP checklist for your property type.

IREM is an ENERGY STAR Partner, and we have included ENERGY STAR programs and resources into the certification.

• ENERGY STAR certified properties can claim ALL Energy category points—immediately giving them about 35% of the points required for the IREM certification.
• Office properties and multifamily communities can earn points toward the IREM certification with a minimum ENERGY STAR score of 60.
• Energy and water benchmarking is required to earn the IREM certification, and IREM strongly encourages use of the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool.
• You can submit standard ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager reports to demonstrate achievement of requirements and point activities.
• Properties can earn points by using and recommending ENERGY STAR products and appliances.

IREM is able to assist in a variety of ways. We can:

• Conduct a 30-minute webinar overview of the certification process with you and/or your teams.
• Take a first pass through the certification checklist with you, to assess where you stand in achieving the certification.
• Recommend strategies for completing the certification process for your properties.
• Host a certification kick-off call with your team.
• Answer any questions that you have or that arise as you complete the certification process.
• Refer you to others who have certified properties for tips, best practices, and strategies.
• Direct you to solutions providers who can help with the certification process.

Contact IREM at  sustainability@irem.org  to discuss your needs.

Benchmarking is good business. As the adage goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. For this reason, benchmarking is included in Best Practices: Real Estate Management Service, which IREM developed to guide and support real estate management companies committed to operating their businesses successfully and in a professional manner.

Benchmarking energy and water consumption are also Baseline Requirements—meaning you have to benchmark in order to achieve the certification. IREM recommends using the free ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool. We also accept other tools. Once you benchmark the property, you can begin to make improvements in energy and water efficiency and improve your property’s diversion rate (the amount of waste diverted from the landfill through recycling and reuse). A property can earn several points toward certification by making these performance improvements. But benchmarking is foundational to sustainability and a necessary first step if you are just getting started.

Yes. An IREM Certified Sustainable Property contributes to your GRESB score in the Building Certifications Aspect of the assessment at the “full” certification level. The IREM certification allows GRESB participants to identify gaps in sustainability performance, scale sustainability across their portfolios, and earn recognition for properties not yet covered by a certification program.

IREM staff conducts an initial review of your full application package. Final review is through a qualified, external consultant who makes a recommendation on whether to certify the property. This process ensures impartiality and upholds the rigor of the program. Throughout the review, IREM may ask for clarifications, work with you to fill any gaps, and allow you to supplement your application package with additional information or materials. The process takes anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks.

IREM will notify you if your initial application is not accepted and will work with you to rectify any issues. If necessary, we will send a corrections checklist to explain the issues we found and what you can do to fix them. We are more than happy to host a webinar in order to further explain our review and answer any specific questions you may have.

After you fix the issues, you may resubmit your application.

If you have other questions or would like to schedule a webinar on the certification process, email IREM at sustainability@irem.org.

Your CSP will be recognized in the following ways:

• A listing in our online directory of certified properties
• Eligibility to place the certification logo on the property website and marketing collateral
• Listing in the IREM Insider section of JPM
• A complimentary certification award plaque for display in the property’s entrance, lobby, leasing office, or other prominent location
• Option to send out a press release, using IREM’s customizable template

IREM also invites you to share case studies and stories on the certification process or the property’s sustainability success for the IREM Blog, Real Estate Management News, or JPM.

LEED O+M properties can fast track to the CSP by claiming ALL Energy, Water, Recycling, and Purchasing points.

This means that you only have to do the following to earn the CSP for your LEED-certified property:

• Complete the first five Baseline Requirements
• Earn at least two points in the Health category
• Apply and pay the application fee

That’s it. These simple steps will earn you another prestigious sustainability certification—putting your property ahead of the competition.

Currently, the CSP is available to U.S. and Canadian properties.

Yes. If you encounter any issues using the Multifamily Community requirements and materials for this property type, contact IREM at sustainabiliity@irem.org.

Recertification is every three years. After three years, you have a full calendar year to recertify. For example, if you certify your property in August 2019, you must recertify your property by December 31, 2022.

To recertify your property, you must do the following:

• Complete and submit the CSP Recertification Application.
• Submit a customized ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager report that indicates at least 5% improvements in energy, water, and waste since the date of the initial certification. If the property has not made these improvements, you may submit a narrative in your application explaining the extenuating circumstances.
• Pay the application fee. Recertification application fees are the same as fees for first-time applicants, and you must pay the application fee at the rate in effect at the time you submit your recertification application.

Step 1

Connect with IREM’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account.

1. Click Contacts in the upper right part of the screen in Portfolio Manager.
2. Click Add Contact.
3. Search for IREMCSP (no spaces) in the username field.
4. Click Connect next to Institute of Real Estate Management Sustainability.
5. When you get a notification in Portfolio Manager that IREM has accepted your connection request, move on to Step 2.

Step 2

Share your property with IREM’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account.

1. Go to the Sharing tab in Portfolio Manager.
2. Click Set Up Web Services/Data Exchange.
3. Select Institute of Real Estate Management Sustainability.
4. Select Number of Properties you’d like to share.
5. Select the property or properties.
6. Select Bulk Sharing.
7. Select Exchange Data Read Only Access.
8. Click Authorize Exchange.

You may also select Personalized Sharing in step 6 above and then set permissions for each meter. IREM requires that you share at least energy and water meters if you track your property in Portfolio Manager.

1. When you get to the ENERGY STAR section of the application, indicate that you have data in Portfolio Manager.
2. Enter the property’s 8-digit Portfolio Manager ID into the field.
3. Click Look up ENERGY STAR information.

Note: You’ll get an alert pop-up if you have less than 12 months of energy or water data in Portfolio Manager, as required for the property’s CSP application.

IREM requires this share for several reasons:

• To allow you to easily import your property’s data into the CSP application form
• To better verify your property’s energy and water use for the CSP application
• To evaluate the performance of CSPs as a group