IEEPA TARIFF REFUND RECOVERY FOR MULTI-FAMILY REAL ESTATE
You paid the tariff, even if you're not the importer.Here is how owners and operators recover that money.
Your building material, appliance, and FF&E suppliers were the Importer of Record.
CBP's refund goes to them. We recover your share.
No retainers. No hourly billing. You pay nothing unless we recover.
The Opportunity
The downstream buyer opportunity in multi-family procurement
Owners and operators source FF&E, appliances, and building materials through distributors and suppliers who typically serve as the Importer of Record on imported goods. If tariff costs were passed through in unit pricing or contract line items during renovations, unit turns, or new construction, the refund on that duty is flowing to your supplier, not to you.
The Background
The refund is flowing back to your supplier — not to you.
Between February 2025 and February 2026, importers paid more than $166 billion in IEEPA tariffs, a program that touched everything from building materials to in-unit appliances. On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled those tariffs unlawful, and CBP is now refunding the money. But the refund goes only to the Importer of Record (IOR) who filed the entry, typically the building material supplier, appliance distributor, or FF&E vendor that supplied you, not you.
IEEPA tariffs collected nationwide, Feb 2025 to Feb 2026, across every sector including multi-family supply chains
Range of IEEPA tariff rates across 60+ countries over the life of the program, from the universal baseline to peak country-specific rates, applied to imported building materials and fixtures
Expected recovery on purchased imported building materials, appliances, and property equipment (FF&E, HVAC systems, and interior finishes)
Why you cannot file with CBP directly
The CAPE refund portal accepts claims only from the Importer of Record named on the entry summary. Downstream buyers, including owners, operators, and property management companies, have no direct administrative pathway with U.S. Customs.
Spend categories
Where this shows up in multi-family real estate
FF&E
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment for units and common areas.
MRO
Maintenance, repair, and operations supplies for property upkeep.
Appliances & HVAC
In-unit appliances and heating/cooling systems.
Interior Finishes & Building Materials
Flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, and construction materials.
Amenity & Site
Fitness equipment, pool furniture, signage, and site amenities.
How recovery works
Our five step process
The path runs through commercial channels, not CBP. The financial analysis is built by Sagemont using purchasing reports, invoices, purchase orders, supply agreements, tariff-related communications, and pricing notices. We map the pass-through, quantify your share, and work with your supplier for the portion of the refund attributable to costs you actually paid.
- 1
Intake & Estimates
Sagemont will analyze a single vendor transaction report, accompanied by all pricing communications from vendors, and provide you with estimates on the tariff recovery per supplier. This is a very light lift for clients.
- 2
Full Tariff Analysis
We pull invoices, purchase orders and vendor contracts to build on the initial analysis and map the exact tariff pass-through per supplier.
- 3
Supplier Communication
We work amicably with your suppliers on your behalf to present the analysis and follow up.
- 4
Methodology Review
Our team will review and validate the supplier's refund calculation and allocation against our analysis.
- 5
Tariff Refund Recovery
Recovered funds flow to you.
Contingency fees
No Recovery. No Fee.
We operate on a 100% contingency fee structure. There are zero upfront costs — if there is no recovery, you owe absolutely nothing.
Schedule a Free Consultation