What is plot area?
Also called: plot size, land area, gaj, sq yd
Plot area is the total land inside a plot's boundaries, as recorded in the sale deed and the revenue records. It decides how much you can build, what the land is worth and what stamp duty you'll pay.
The unit you'll be quoted depends on where you are. In Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and most of UP and Rajasthan it's gaj, the square yard, which is 9 sq ft. Kerala and Tamil Nadu use cents, where one cent is 435.6 sq ft, and Chennai also uses the 'ground' of 2,400 sq ft. Maharashtra and Karnataka use the guntha, 1,089 sq ft. The bigha is the one to be careful with: its size changes from state to state and sometimes from district to district, so never convert a bigha figure without checking the local value.
The area in the deed and the area on the ground don't always agree. Boundaries drift, a neighbour's wall creeps over, a road-widening strip was surrendered years ago and never deducted from the paperwork. Before you pay the balance, get the plot measured against the survey or layout plan. In Karnataka that means the survey sketch from the land records department; in UP, a demarcation by the revenue staff through the tehsil.
Plot area also feeds straight into the FSI calculation, so a shortfall of 20 sq yd isn't just 20 sq yd of garden. It cuts what you're allowed to build on every floor.
Corner plots and plots facing parks usually command a premium. Make sure you're paying it for a boundary that is actually yours.
A 200 sq yd plot in a Jaipur Development Authority scheme is 1,800 sq ft, or 167.2 sq m. Stamp duty is worked out on the higher of the sale price and the DLC rate for 167.2 sq m, so the conversion needs to be right.
Buying on the seller's stated area without matching it to the deed, the mutation record and a physical measurement. Discrepancies are far easier to settle before registration than after.
Questions people ask about plot area
How many sq ft is 1 gaj?
One gaj is one square yard, which is 9 sq ft or about 0.836 sq m. A 100 gaj plot is 900 sq ft.
Is plot area the same as built-up area?
No. Plot area is the land; built-up area is the floor space constructed on it, which can be more or less than the plot area depending on the FSI and number of floors.