What Does RERA Carpet Area Mean & How is it Calculated

Do you know that over 70% of Indian homebuyers feel uncertain about the actual space they are buying when investing in a property? This happens due to several property measurement terms like carpet area, built-up, and super built-up. If you do not want to be one of them, then we suggest you learn about the Real Estate Regulatory Authority or RERA carpet area. Knowing what carpet area means among these terms really helps, as it denotes the actual usable space inside the property you will get. So, let us help you in this regard through this blog, where we will share all about the RERA carpet area and how it is calculated.

Table of Contents

• RERA Carpet Area
• Calculate RERA Carpet Area
• Why Calculate RERA Carpet Area
• Understanding Built-Up to Carpet Area Terms

What is RERA Carpet Area?

According to RERA, carpet area is a property’s net usable floor area. It includes the internal walls; whereas, it excludes the external walls, balconies, verandahs, parking areas, terrace sites, and service shafts. It is essential to calculate the RERA carpet area because all builders and developers are supposed to sell properties based on this measurement and not any other type of area measurement. If any discrepancy is found between the actual carpet area and the specified carpet area, then the homebuyer can demand a refund for the same from the builder or developer within 45 days. On the other hand, if a vice-versa situation happens, then the homebuyer is supposed to pay the difference. Here one thing should be noted: RERA has pre-defined a 3% maximum growth rate for carpet area and that should also be considered when making transactions for this measurement.

Suggested read: What is RERA

How to Calculate RERA Carpet Area?

So, coming back to the most important question: How to calculate the RERA carpet area? Well, here is a step-by-step guide to understand this calculation:

Step 1: Measure the Usable Floor Area – Start by measuring the length and width of each room within the apartment, which includes, the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, study room, or any other usable space inside. Find the area of each room using these dimensions and add them up.

Step 2: Measure the Inner Wall Thickness – The second step is to measure the thickness of the internal partition walls that can be calculated from inside between two rooms. Add these in your RERA carpet area calculations.

Step 3: Avoid Balconies, External Walls, and Terrace – As told before, do not include the balcony, external walls, terrace areas when calculating the RERA carpet area.

In short, the RERA Carpet Area Formula = Total Internal Area of an Apartment (including usable floor area, internal walls; excluding: external walls, balcony, terrace, parking)

Why Calculate RERA Carpet Area?

Are you wondering what is the need to calculate carpet area as per RERA? For this, you must read out the various benefits of calculating the RERA carpet area listed below:

1. Standardized Measurement: By putting forward this standardized way of calculating the carpet area, RERA has eliminated the chances of any discrepancies in how different developers and builders measure and report property areas.
2. Legal Recourse: The RERA carpet area also helps in addressing any property-related transaction grievances. Homebuyers can easily file a complaint to get a refund if a builder tries to fool them by showing the wrong carpet area and not the actual carpet area as per RERA regulations.
3. Ensures Clarity and Transparency: Since RERA has made it mandatory for builders to report the RERA carpet area in all marketing and sale agreements, it ensures that the homebuyer is not misled by any false claims. In short, it helps provide the buyer with clarity and transparency on the actual usable area of an apartment.
4. Better Value for Money: It is through the RERA carpet area that the buyer learns about the actual usable space within a property. This helps him or her get a better value for the money invested.
5. Facilitates Informed Decision-Making: Through the RERA carpet area, which is a standardized measurement, the potential homebuyer can make a better-informed decision on whether to invest in a property or not.

Suggested read: RERA Haryana

Understanding Built-Up to Carpet Area Terms

To evaluate a property’s usable and total space, it is essential to understand the basic measurement terms used such as the built-up area, super-built-up area, and the carpet area. Worry not, if you are not aware of any of these, learn about them by reading further:

1. Built-Up Area: The term built-up area refers to the total building area measured externally from the wall surfaces. It includes both the wall thickness and the carpet area. The simple formula used to calculate built-up area is given below:

Built-Up Area: Carpet Area + Wall Area 

2. Super Built-Up Area: The total saleable area of a property is on the other hand, referred to as the Super Built-Up Area. It includes the total carpeting, terraces, walls, balconies, stairs, lifts, pool, and garden. The formula used to calculate the super built-up area is given below:

Super Built-Up Area: Built-Up Area + All Common Areas

3. Carpet Area: When we call carpet area, we mean the net usable area of an apartment, particularly internal areas and not external areas. There is no such carpet area formula, all you need is to remember that:

Carpet Area: Total Usable Area of an Apartment (including internal walls; excluding: external walls, balcony, terrace, parking)

The main purpose of calculating the RERA carpet area is to eliminate any ambiguity to empower the buyer to make the right decision and understand what he or she is truly paying for when buying a property. Instead of manually doing the RERA carpet area calculation as told in this blog, you may use an online RERA carpet area calculator to simplify this procedure. It can help you quickly determine the usable space of a property to get the best value for your investment. 

FAQs about RERA Carpet Area