RERA and legal

RERA carpet area explained in plain words

By Prime Picks | Space Decisions Realty · 23 October 2026

When two flats are quoted at different rates per square foot, the first thing to ask is: per square foot of what? Before RERA, builders often quoted a larger "super built-up" figure that included shares of common areas. Since the Act, a flat's area is stated as carpet area.

What the Act says, in short

Carpet area is the net usable floor area of the apartment. It leaves out the area covered by external walls, the area under service shafts, and any exclusive balcony, verandah or open terrace. It includes the area covered by the apartment's internal partition walls.

So carpet area is roughly the floor you could cover with a carpet inside the home, with the thickness of internal walls counted in.

What it does not include

• The thickness of external walls
• Service shafts
• Exclusive balcony, verandah or terrace
• Shared areas such as lobbies, staircases and lifts

That last point matters for decks. At Lodha Wakad, the sales material describes two terrace-like decks per home. Ask whether the deck area is part of the carpet area in the quoted range or listed separately.

Why comparing needs care

Take two flats quoted at the same total price. One has 1,150 sq. ft. of carpet and the other 1,000 sq. ft. The first costs less per carpet square foot. Without checking which measure a seller uses, you cannot tell.

At the indicative figures in the Lodha Wakad sales material, simple arithmetic gives about ₹18,300–19,100 per carpet sq. ft. for the 3 BHK and about ₹18,700–19,300 for the 3 BHK with study. These are our own calculations on indicative figures. They are not a rate quoted by the developer.

Where small differences hide

Developer material often states that areas are measured on unfinished surfaces and may vary by about three per cent. On a 1,200 sq. ft. home, that is about 36 sq. ft., which is the size of a small utility room.

How to use this

1. Ask for the carpet area of your exact unit in the registered plan.
2. Divide the total price by that carpet area.
3. Do the same for every project you compare.
4. Ask separately for deck, balcony and terrace areas.

Our price and cost guide shows the full list of charges to ask for, and our 3 BHK with study vs 4 BHK guide shows how to judge a layout.

This note is general information for buyers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures for Lodha Wakad come from developer sales material and are indicative. Rates and rules change, so confirm current details with the developer, MahaRERA and a qualified professional.