Carpet area, and the number worth comparing

A 1 BHK advertised at 610 sq ft and a 1 BHK advertised at 419 sq ft can be exactly the same flat. The difference is which number the hoarding picked.

The three numbers

Carpet area is defined in the RERA Act: the net usable floor area within the walls of the flat, excluding the external walls, the shaft, the exclusive balcony and the open terrace, and including the internal partition walls. It is the floor you can put furniture on.

Built-up area adds the walls and usually the balcony.

Super built-up area adds a share of the lobby, the stairs, the lift and sometimes the amenities. There is no legal definition of it. Two developers can compute it differently on the same building, and both can be telling the truth.

Why it matters

Since RERA a developer must sell on carpet area, and the carpet figure must appear in the Agreement for Sale. Marketing material can still quote whatever it likes. So when you put two projects side by side, put both on carpet or the comparison is meaningless.

At Vishnu Vertex

The 1 BHK is 419 sq ft carpet and the 2 BHK is 600 sq ft carpet. Those are the numbers the project is sold on and the ones that will appear in the agreement.

Four questions worth asking anywhere

• Is that figure carpet, and is it the RERA carpet? Ask for it in writing.
• What is the balcony area, stated separately?
• What is the rate per sq ft on carpet, not on super built-up?
• Can I see the dimensioned plan for this exact floor and facing?

That last one matters more than people expect. Layouts change between floors, and the plan on a brochure is usually the typical floor rather than yours.