Let us discuss some more important terms. When you are buying a home, the most important thing you want to know is how much space you are buying. There were three methods used to calculate the area of a property:
- Carpet area
- Built‑up area
- Super built‑up area
Before the RERA carpet area came into existence, builders quoted prices according to the built‑up area or the super built‑up area, which raised the cost of an apartment. This led to fraud and cheating cases, because home buyers did not get what was promised. To curb this problem, RERA 2016 came with a provision stating that it is mandatory for a builder to disclose the carpet area and quote the price based on the RERA carpet area only.
RERA carpet area
In simple words, carpet area is the actual usable area of a flat — literally, where you can spread a carpet. The definition of carpet area as per RERA is “the net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by the external walls, areas under service shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah area and exclusive open terrace area, but including the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment.”
What is the difference between RERA carpet area and usable carpet area?
The only difference between the two is the thickness of the internal walls. In RERA carpet area the thickness of the internal walls is included, whereas usable carpet area excludes the internal thickness of the walls as well.
While RERA carpet area is important, usable carpet area is a more useful measure for us as customers. When comparing projects, check the usable carpet area and not just the RERA carpet area — this will allow a precise comparison of the actual space you will be getting.
Built-up area
Built‑up area is the area of a premise measured from the external perimeter wall surfaces. It includes the carpet area and the wall thickness. It also contains other apartment areas such as the dry balcony, terrace, flower beds and so on.
The formula used to calculate the built‑up area:
Built‑up area = Carpet area + Area of walls
Super built-up area
Super built‑up area is the area of premises which is a saleable area. This area includes the carpet area, terrace area, walls, lift, stairs and balconies. Some builders also include a garden area, pool area or clubhouse area. The loading factor on the carpet area is used to measure the super built‑up area.
