Carpet area vs saleable area, worked through at Embassy South Reserve

Carpet area vs saleable area is the first thing to understand before comparing flats in Bengaluru. Saleable area, also called super built up area, is what the price is charged on. RERA carpet area is the floor space inside your own walls. The gap between them is your share of the walls, lobbies, lifts, stairs and clubhouse. At Embassy South Reserve, the RERA carpet is about 61% of the saleable area on every layout Embassy has released.

Three measurements, three meanings

• RERA carpet area is the net usable floor inside the flat, excluding external walls, service shafts and balconies, but including internal walls. The RERA Act of 2016 made this the legal definition every developer must state.
• Usable carpet is Embassy's term for RERA carpet plus the balconies. Other developers may call it "carpet including balcony".
• Saleable area adds the external walls, your share of common areas and often a share of the amenities. Prices per sq.ft. are almost always quoted on this.

The numbers at South Reserve

Areas in sq.ft., from Embassy's unit plans. Counting balconies, usable carpet is 66% to 67% of saleable area.

What that means in money

Suppose a flat is priced at a round ₹10,000 per sq.ft. of saleable area. This is an example figure only; Embassy has not published a rate. The 3 BHK E1 would then cost ₹1.9 Cr before charges. Divide by the 1,154 sq.ft. of RERA carpet and you are paying about ₹16,400 per sq.ft. of floor inside your walls. That second number is the one to compare with other projects.

Is 61% low?

It is on the lower side for a new Bengaluru launch, and worth knowing. Two things explain some of it. First, a large clubhouse, a rooftop walkway across nine towers and wide common areas all add to the loading on each flat. Second, developers do not all calculate efficiency the same way: some quote carpet including balconies against saleable area, which makes the figure look higher.

So compare like for like. If another project claims "75% efficiency", ask whether that is RERA carpet or carpet with balconies. At South Reserve the like for like figures are 61% and 67%.

What the loading buys

A higher loading is not automatically bad. It pays for things you use: the Ribbon rooftop, the clubhouse with guest rooms, the lobbies, and the landscape. A lower loading in a tower with little to share is not better value. The question is whether the shared spaces are ones you want. Our amenities guide lists what South Reserve provides.

Three checks before you sign

1. The agreement states the RERA carpet area of your unit, and it matches the plan.
2. The price per sq.ft. and the area it is charged on are both written down.
3. There is a clause on what happens if the final carpet area differs from the agreement. RERA allows a small tolerance; anything more should change the price.

Our hub's general guide to carpet area and super built up area covers the definitions in more depth.

Why balconies are counted separately

RERA's definition of carpet area leaves out balconies and open terraces, because they are not enclosed floor. Developers still charge for them within the saleable area, which is why Embassy quotes a second number, usable carpet, that adds them back. At South Reserve the balconies add between 63 sq.ft. (2 BHK) and 123 sq.ft. (the 3 BHK layouts).

Balconies are worth more in Bengaluru's climate than in most Indian cities: they are used for most of the year. But they are not the same as a room. When you compare two flats, look at the RERA carpet first, then treat balcony space as a bonus rather than floor area.

Next step

Ask us for the price sheet of any South Reserve layout and we will show the rate on both saleable and carpet area, next to any other project you are weighing. Our floor plan guide has the room sizes behind these numbers.