One of the most common sources of confusion for first-time buyers is the gap between the area quoted in marketing material and the area you actually get to use inside your walls.
The three definitions
- Carpet area: the usable floor area within your unit's walls — what RERA requires builders to disclose
- Built-up area: carpet area plus wall thickness and balconies
- Super built-up area: built-up area plus a proportionate share of common spaces like lobbies, stairwells and lifts
Since RERA, builders are required to quote pricing based on carpet area, which has made comparisons across projects considerably fairer than a decade ago. Even so, always ask for the carpet area figure in writing and calculate your effective price per square foot from that number alone.
