The floor you can actually walk on, measured wall to wall inside the flat. It excludes the thickness of the walls, and it is the number RERA requires a builder to quote.
How it works and what to check
Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, carpet area is the net usable floor area of a flat. It leaves out the external walls, service shafts, an exclusive balcony or verandah and an exclusive open terrace, but it includes the internal partition walls. A builder selling a registered project has to state the price against this figure.
Resale listings and older agreements often quote built-up or super built-up area instead, which are larger. Comparing a carpet figure with a super built-up figure makes one home look much cheaper per square foot than it is.
Before you pay, ask which area the price is based on, and check the carpet area in the agreement or the RERA filing against a tape measure at handover.
No. Under RERA an exclusive balcony, verandah or open terrace is left out of carpet area and shown separately. Internal partition walls are included.
Which area must a builder quote?
For a RERA-registered project, the sale price must be stated against carpet area. Builders may also mention other areas, but the agreement should give the carpet figure.