Living Space: In Real Estate, Size Does Matter

Are you keen on buying a large flat as you want more space to walk around or for decoration? There is every chance that what you see on paper is not what you get in hand when you move into a new apartment in India. There are some factors that might make your apartment smaller than what the builder promises, and ways in which you could be hoodwinked. Getting a hold of the real estate jargon might save you a lot of money and time and help you find the right home you need.

Here is how an apartment is measured:

1. Carpet area: The carpet area is, by definition, the area which you can lay a carpet on. It is the area between the walls and is calculated by multiplying the length and breadth of the rooms. Add the areas of all the rooms to get the total carpet area. The space leading to rooms, passages and other areas like balconies are included in the carpet area. FSI or floor space index is calculated using the carpet area of an apartment. FSI is regulated by state governments and is the ratio of size of the plot and the total floor space of a building.
    

2. Built-up area: The total built-up area of an apartment includes the space occupied by walls. Depending on the nature and the architecture, the built-up area is 20-30% higher than the carpet area. It is also knows as the plinth area. While this area must be taken into consideration while buying a flat, carpet area gives a better idea of the living space that an apartment might provide. It is advisable to keep the ratio between the carpet area to the saleable area as high as possible as it gives an indication of the quality of construction.
    

3. Super built-up area: This also takes into consideration the area outside the built-up areas like the common areas between flats, elevators, stairs, terraces and shafts. Some builders include the clubhouse and other common amenities provided in a society into this area as well. These common areas are however proportionately divided amongst the apartments, before adding them to this. This basically includes the space that one can use in the society.  
    

4. Loading factor: It is a number provided by the builder. When the factor is multiplied to the carpet area of a flat, it gives the super built-up area. The ideal loading factor should be around 23-27%.

These terms are sometimes not properly defined or explained my many developers of residential projects in India leading to confusion and disappointment for the homebuyer. A lot of builders working on under construction properties in India quote built-up area while selling a flat. While that matters, many customers assume it to be the area that they get to live in. However, walls take away a lot of space in an apartment, depending on their width and number. A 2BHK flat with the same built-up area might have more carpet area than a 3BHK flat with the same area, as the number of walls would be more in number.

Beware of these small nuances that might become causes for disputes later.

(The writer has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities)