The bank offers more potential for real estate growth and higher ROIs in India than investments like deposits, gold etc. The tremendous demand for real estate in India has enabled it to reach a turnover of $180 billion by 2020.
Buying a home is one of the most exhilarating and challenging experiences for any home buyer. A single person is an independent bird who does not feel like moving from one place to another for better options in business, but is like settling in a prominent place with the best of facilities and environment to families.
Buying a house requires careful planning, proper budget allocation and study of the properties and parties involved.
In India, various words such as carpet area, built-in area and super built-up area are used to define the area of apartments.
It is important to understand the difference between built-in area versus carpet area versus super area if you are planning to buy residential property.
In this article we are trying to explain what these area means and what is the difference between the following.
CARPET AREA:
Carpet area is the area which can be covered by carpet. It is the distance from wall to wall which makes for the usable floor area of the house. It refers to the area inside your home on which you can actually lay a carpet and move around physically.
As per RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development) Act guidelines, it is mandatory for developers to disclose the carpet area of each apartment base which should be calculated as sale price.
The area also includes a few percent of other areas – such as balcony, ceilings and verandahs – that many people exclude from their calculations.
Also, the carpet area includes the thickness of the inner walls of the house.
Calculations:
Carpet area is 70 per cent of built-up area.
BUILT UP AREA:
Built-up area is the total area measured on the outer line of your flat, including balcony, roof etc. It refers a little more to the area occupied by the walls and pillars of your flat along with the usable (or carpet area) of your flat.
In other words, the built-up area will normally include percentages:
- Balcony and/or Terrace
- Detached habitable areas such as servant’s room, etc.
- Roof area
- Mezzanine floor
- Columns and Walls
It makes up about 70 to 80 per cent of the super built-up area of the property. It should be noted that percentage may vary with the project or developer.
Calculations:
Built-up area = Carpet area + area of walls + area of balcony
THE SUPER BUILT UP AREA:
A base super built-up area is a saleable area.
It includes
- The carpet area
- Terrace
- Balconies
- Areas occupied by walls
- Area occupied by common/shared construction (e.g. lift, stairs, etc).
In some cases, builders include facilities like pools, clubhouses and gardens. Builders use loading factors on carpet areas to reach the super built-up area.
According to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), carpet area, built-up area as well as part of common area like stairs, lobby, which can be used by the entire building, is defined as super built-up area.
The Super Built-up Area Does Not Include…
- Weather sheds, inaccessible flower beds, lofts, common open to sky terraces, stairwells, etc.
- Underground sumps and water or septic tanks
- Open to sky walkways and open to sky swimming pools
- Compound walls
- Open sports facilities
Calculations:
Since super built-up area factors in general areas like lift, verandah, clubhouse etc., developers consider 1.25 as multiplication factor to calculate super built-up area. This increases the total sales area by 25% to 30%.
Super built-up area = Carpet Area (1+ Loading Factor)
WRAP UP
Real estate really can be complex. Understanding the difference between these areas is going to protect you from being exploited by the builder.
It is not in your hands to change rules and practices, but you can definitely make an informed decision when you are well aware of the carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area.
