Understand Budgets and Not-to-Exceed Limits
LeanSite uses property budgets to show how much money has been allocated, committed and spent at each property. A not-to-exceed limit, usually shown as NTE, controls the authorised value of a particular external work order. Reading both controls together helps you decide whether work can be raised, approved or expanded within the funds available for that location.
This guide explains the budget values shown in My Property, where a property’s budget is set, and how an NTE request enters the approval process. Separate guides cover adjusting a property budget, transferring budget between properties and approving an NTE increase.
Before you startYou need access to the relevant property and its financial information. Budget changes and NTE decisions may be restricted to authorised roles in your organisation.
1. Review the property portfolioOpen My Property. Each property card shows an available amount and a percentage bar so you can identify properties that need closer review. Open the property before making a financial decision, because the detailed record separates the amounts behind the summary.

Alt text: Property cards in My Property showing available budget amounts and budget progress bars.
2. Read the annual budget summaryOn the property record, remain on the Info tab and find Annual Budget. The summary separates four values:
|
Value |
How to use it |
|---|---|
|
Total |
The property’s current annual budget limit. |
|
Available |
The part of the budget still available for new commitments. |
|
Committed |
The amount already committed to work. |
|
Spent |
The amount recorded as spent. |
The available and committed values may also include percentages of the total. Check these values before creating externally fulfilled work, approving additional cost or transferring funds.

Alt text: Property Info tab showing Total, Available, Committed and Spent annual-budget values.
3. Understand the work-order NTEAn NTE is the authorised ceiling attached to a supported external work order. It gives the assignee and approver a common financial limit for the approved scope. Internal Team work orders do not use the external-vendor NTE and budget controls described here.
If the approved scope cannot be completed within the current limit, the requester raises an NTE approval request against the work order. The pending request remains visible to the approver until it is accepted or rejected. Each NTE applies to its own work order, including work orders created together in a batch.
4. Keep the two controls connectedReview the property’s available budget before approving an NTE increase. Accepting a higher NTE changes the amount authorised for the work order; a property budget adjustment changes the property’s overall limit; a transfer moves funds between property budgets. Use the action that matches the financial decision being made.
Expected resultYou can identify the property’s current Total, Available, Committed and Spent values and distinguish the property budget from the NTE attached to an external work order.
If a value looks wrongOpen the underlying property or work order before taking action. Check recent budget adjustments, transfers, NTE approvals, work-order changes and payment activity in the relevant operating record. Use the Activity Log to trace recorded changes. Contact LeanSite Support when the operating record and displayed summary remain inconsistent.
Related articles- Increase a Property Budget
- Transfer Funds Between Property Budgets
- Request and Review an NTE Increase
- Analyse Budget Performance
- Use the Activity Log