What is RERA carpet area?
Also called: carpet area as per RERA, Section 2(k) carpet area
RERA carpet area is the net usable floor area of a flat as defined in Section 2(k) of the RERA Act, 2016. It includes internal partition walls and excludes external walls, service shafts, exclusive balconies or verandahs and exclusive open terraces.
Read the definition slowly, because each part matters when you measure. Internal walls between your bedroom and hall are in. The outer wall of the building is out, even the half that faces into your flat. Shafts for plumbing or electrical risers are out. Balconies and verandahs you alone use are out, and so is an open terrace attached only to your unit. Those last two are listed separately in the agreement as 'exclusive balcony area' and 'exclusive open terrace area'.
You can find the carpet area for each unit type on the state RERA website. On MahaRERA it's in the project's registration details, on UP RERA in the uploaded project documents, and TG RERA in Telangana shows it in the apartment statement. If what the sales office quotes doesn't match what the builder filed with the regulator, the filed figure is the one you'll be able to rely on in a complaint.
Because internal walls are included, RERA carpet comes out slightly larger than the pre-2017 trade meaning of carpet, typically by 4% to 7% depending on how many rooms the flat has. That's the reason a resale flat and a new launch of the same layout can show different carpet figures without either being wrong.
At handover, take a laser measure and do the sum the Act's way. A shortfall of more than the tolerance in your agreement is a claim, not a grumble.
A buyer in Kokapet, Hyderabad, has an agreement stating 1,420 sq ft RERA carpet area. At possession she measures 1,368 sq ft including internal walls, a shortfall of about 3.7%, and raises it with the builder before signing the possession letter.
Measuring only the open floor and forgetting to add the internal walls, then claiming a shortfall that isn't there. The builder's engineer will point it out within minutes.
Questions people ask about RERA carpet area
Is RERA carpet area the same in every state?
The definition comes from the central Act, so yes. States differ in how they display it on their portals and in the tolerance clauses of their model agreements.
Where do I find the RERA carpet area of a flat I am buying?
In the agreement for sale and in the project's registration papers on the state RERA website. Search the project by its registration number and open the unit or apartment details.