Three Certification Opportunities CRE Portfolios Should Evaluate Now

In today’s real estate market, certification is more than a plaque. The right certification can provide third-party evidence of operational performance, support investor and GRESB reporting, strengthen an asset’s liquidity, and help portfolio teams identify opportunities for improvement. This means owners and managers should be increasingly deliberate about where certification creates value and where existing building performance can be translated into recognized credentials.

There are three pertinent credential opportunities that not only can generate value, but have important timing considerations over the next few months: LEED™ v4.1 recertification, IREM™ CSP, and ModeScore.

IREM CSP: Get Credit for the Work Your Buildings Are Already Doing

ModeScore: Turn Mobility and Connectivity Into a Measurable Asset Attribute

LEED v4.1 Recertification: Protect Existing Value Before the Transition
Practicing What We Advise: Our Path to TRUE Certification

Bonus Content: Free Certifications Webinar
Find the Right Certification Strategy for Your Portfolio

IREM CSP

Get Credit for Your Existing Building Features

Many properties may already have much of the foundation needed for IREM Certified Sustainable Property (CSP) certification through existing practices such as utility benchmarking, waste management, sustainable purchasing, tenant engagement, and operational policies.

IREM CSP translates that work into a recognized third-party credential that can help demonstrate operational performance, support portfolio reporting, and contribute to GRESB objectives. It can also be scaled seamlessly through IREM’s volume approach, which is a cost-effective method for implementing certification across a portfolio.

November 1, 2026, is IREM’s priority deadline for new CSP certifications returned by EOY, making now the perfect time to identify certification-ready assets and determine where pursuing CSP can create value. For portfolios preparing for the next GRESB cycle, you must at minimum submit to IREM by December 31.

Already doing the work? Verdani can help assess which properties may be strong candidates for CSP and where any remaining gaps can be addressed efficiently.

ModeScore

Turn Mobility & Connectivity Into Measurable Asset Attributes

How people access a building has become an increasingly important component of asset performance. ModeScore evaluates public transit access, active transportation, EV infrastructure, and site mobility to provide a clearer picture of how well a property supports occupants´ transportation and connectivity needs.

Portfolios participating in GRESB may appreciate ModeScore´s relatively fast certification pathway. Certification typically takes four to five weeks; when combined with rating ActiveScore, a rating system for certifying active travel provision in buildings and on the street, it can contribute meaningfully toward certified floor-area coverage.

Beyond reporting, the assessment helps asset teams understand mobility as part of the broader occupant experience, supporting tenant accessibility, operational planning, and overall asset quality.

Verdani is also partnering with ModeScore for an end-of-year promotion that can significantly reduce your program fees. We can help identify strong candidate properties, evaluate potential GRESB value, and streamline the certification process across your portfolio.

Already doing the work? Verdani can help assess which properties may be strong candidates for CSP and where any remaining gaps can be addressed efficiently.

LEED v4.1 Recertification

Protect Existing Value Before the Transition

If an asset already is LEED certified, now is the time to evaluate whether recertification makes business sense. For previously certified properties, recertification can help maintain recognized third-party validation, support investor and reporting objectives, and preserve the value of work already completed.

USGBC will close registration for LEED v4/v4.1 O+M, BD+C, and ID+C on June 30, 2027, making the coming months an important planning window for assets that may benefit from remaining on the current framework.

For assets with LEED expiration dates falling after June 30, Verdani recommends evaluating recertification under LEED v4.1 O+M ahead of the planned transition to LEED v5, to make the most of your previous certification.

Do you have previously certified assets in your portfolio? Send Verdani your candidate list by October 31 to be evaluated for available LEED v4.1 special pricing and recertification opportunities.

Practicing What We Advise

Our Path Toward TRUE™ Certification

Verdani’s headquarters recently achieved TRUE precertification, an important milestone toward TRUE's zero-waste-based certification. Throughout the process, we are applying the same certification rigor internally that we bring to client engagements.

Bonus Content

Not Sure Which Certification Fits Your Portfolio?

Complimentary through the end of November: What’s New in Green Building Certifications: A 2025 Update, Verdani’s overview of changing certification programs and how owners can evaluate certification opportunities across a portfolio, using the code GREENBUILD26.

Find the Right Certification Strategy for Your Portfolio

Not every certification is a fit for every property. Verdani helps portfolio teams identify certification-ready assets, evaluate where certification supports business and reporting objectives, and determine where the investment is, and isn’t, worth making.

Ready to evaluate your portfolio? Contact our Certifications team to schedule a certification feasibility assessment.