Difference between Carpet Area, Built Up Area & Super Area
A home buyer must know about carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area of a property/flat. If they know the difference between carpet area, built-up area & super built-up area, it becomes easy for them to invest in a property. So, let’s explore this blog to know everything about these:
What is the carpet area?
As the name suggests, carpet area is the net usable area within the walls of a property. Also, it is the area of your property in which you can use a carpet.
It comprises the space where you do everyday activities and place all the furniture. Walls and common areas such as lifts are not included in the carpet area. As it shows the actual living space of the property to the buyer, it is the most significant metric to calculate.
Now, let’s understand- what is the carpet area as per RERA.
As per the Real Estate Act, 2016 (RERA), carpet area is the net usable floor area of a property including the area covered by internal partition walls but the area covered by the external walls. The buyer has every right to know the carpet area of the flat so the builder must define the carpet area.
How to calculate carpet area?
The calculation of carpet area is important for the buyers as they will have to pay accordingly. Wondering how to calculate carpet area? In the construction process, architects, builders, engineers, and homebuyers can use carpet area calculators to calculate it precisely.
The formula for carpet area calculation
Carpet area = Area of bedroom + living room + toilets balconies – the thickness of the inner walls of the property.
Important things related to carpet area
- With carpet area, homebuyers will get an insight into how much actual space they would get to live.
- It is important that the price of the property is determined using this carpet area metric and not on the built-up area or super built-up area.
- Additionally, banks consider the carpet area of the property when valuing properties, and then the base loan is offered on it.
What is the built-up area?
A carpet area plus the space occupied by the walls make up the built-up area of that specific property. The unusable spaces such as balconies, terraces, and so on are also considered built-up areas. For this reason, a flat’s space will appear larger when expressed in terms of build-up area terms.
Formula for built-up area calculation
In general, the built-up area of the flat will be 15% to 30% of the carpet area. You can calculate the built-up area of the apartment with this formulation:
Built-up area = Carpet area + area of balcony area of walls
Importance of built-up area
- Understanding the built-up area will give you an insight into the total available space in the property.
- Also, the built-up area is important as it lets you determine the cost of a property.
- Carpet area can be identified by knowing the built-up area of the flat
What is a super built-up area?
It’s also important for a buyer to understand- what a super built-up area is.
So, the super built-up area is the salable area or the built-up area of the property, which includes the carpet area along with the common facilities in the housing project. As per the RERA Act, the built-up area, carpet area, and common area that a building uses are super-built areas. The common areas may include a lobby, stairs, and lifts.
What is covered in a super built-up area?
Do you have confusion- what is covered in a super built-up area? Well, super built area will include these:
- Built up the area of the property
- Lift
- Lobby
- Clubhouses
- Pipes
- Stairs
- Swimming pool
- Gym
- Air ducts
Formula for super built-up area calculation
Super built-up area = Built-up area + proportionate common area
Another way of calculating super built-up is:
Super built-up area = Carpet area (1+loading factor)
Importance of super built-up area
- With a super built-up area, you can get a clear understanding of the total available space that a buyer will have including the common areas.
- You can determine the overall cost of the property or rental
What is the Loading Factor?
The loading factor represents the difference between the carpet area and the super-built area. It is a multiplier that calculates the super built-up area from the carpet area. In general, 1.30 is the standard loading factor measure in real estate. If the loading factor is known, a super built-up area can be determined.
It can be calculated with a loading factor formula that is as follows:
Loading Factor = (Super Built-up Area ÷ Carpet Area) – 1
Difference between carpet area, built-up area & super built-up area
| Area | Carpet area | Built up area | Super built-up area |
| Bedroom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Living room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bathroom | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guest room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Study room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kid’s room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lobby | No | No | Yes |
| Dining room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Balcony | No | Yes | Yes |
| External staircase | No | Yes | Yes |
| Internal staircase | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Terrace | No | Yes | Yes |
| Puja Room | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lift | No | Yes | Yes |
| Garden | No | No | Yes |
| Verandah | No | Yes | Yes |
What is the RERA carpet area impact?
There are various positive RERA carpet area impacts that bring benefits for the homebuyer. These are:
As per the RERA Act, the price of homes will be based on the carpet area.
- Transparent real estate deals
- Builds homebuying trust and confidence
- Standardized real estate deals, trade, and business practices.
- Important to mention the carpet area in the marketing brochure which is beneficial for homebuyers.
Mistakes to avoid related to carpet area
There are some common mistakes related to carpet areas that homebuyers must avoid. Many buyers find difficulty in differentiating the areas that are available under the carpet. So, a clear thing that they need to remember is that common areas such as stairs and lobby are not a part of the carpet area.
Also, buyers don’t ask about carpet area-related queries to the builder which leads to getting smaller space than you thought.
Conclusion
When buying a property, a buyer needs to know the difference between carpet area, built-up area & super built-up area. These measurements are crucial in finding out how much useful area you will get in your property.
