Buyer guide · Mumbai
Carpet area vs built-up vs super built-up: what you actually get in Mumbai
The RERA Act’s carpet area, what built-up and super built-up add, how to turn a quote into a carpet rate, and what flats in Kanjurmarg and Bhandup registered for per sq ft of carpet in 2026.
By Ashwin · Updated · Not legal advice
Carpet, built-up and super built-up
| What it counts | Defined in law? | |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet area | The usable floor inside the flat, including internal walls | Yes: RERA Act, section 2(k) |
| Built-up area | Usually carpet area plus walls, and often the balcony | No: each seller counts it their own way |
| Super built-up area | Usually built-up area plus a share of lobbies, stairs, lifts and other common areas | No |
The Act’s words: carpet area “means the net usable floor area of an apartment”. Balconies and open terraces for your use alone are left out of it.
1Turn a quote into a carpet rate
A price per sq ft means nothing until you know which area it is per. On super built-up, the same flat at the same price looks cheaper per sq ft.
- Time
- 10 min
- Cost
- Free
How to check
- Ask which area the quoted size and rate are on: carpet, built-up or super built-up.
- Ask for the RERA carpet area of the flat, and the balcony and terrace areas separately.
- Check it against MahaRERA: the project’s Summary of Apartments/Units lists each flat type’s carpet area in square metres (how to find it). Multiply by 10.7639 for sq ft.
- Divide the agreement price by the carpet area. That is the rate to compare.
Watch out for
- A rate per sq ft with no area named.
- A “carpet area” that includes the balcony. Under the RERA Act it doesn’t.
- For a resale flat with an older agreement: under MOFA, Maharashtra’s earlier law, the flat’s stated area could include balconies. MahaRERA called this a difference in method, not a change in the flat, in 2021.
- Carpet area in the agreement that differs from what MahaRERA lists for that flat type.
A worked example
An illustrative flat of 600 sq ft carpet, priced at ₹1,50,00,000. A seller quoting super built-up with a 30% loading would call it 780 sq ft.
₹19,231
per sq ft, super built-up
₹1,50,00,000 ÷ 780 sq ft
₹25,000
per sq ft, carpet
₹1,50,00,000 ÷ 600 sq ft
Same flat, same price. Loadings vary by project; ask for the carpet area rather than working backwards.
What flats sold for, per sq ft of carpet
From the agreements builders registered in 2026, which state the RERA carpet area: 680 sales across 6 projects, pooled by area. Typical means the median: half sold for less, half for more.
| Area | Projects | Sales | Typical flat | Typical rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanjurmarg | 4 | 459 | 553 sq ft | ₹25,700 |
| Bhandup | 2 | 221 | 804 sq ft | ₹24,900 |
Rates are the agreement price over carpet area, for flats sold by the builder, before stamp duty, rounded to ₹100. Each project’s own rate, by wing, size and quarter, is in its report.
The checklist
| Check | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Which area the quote is on | Sales office | — |
| RERA carpet area, balcony and terrace separately | Sales office, draft agreement | 5 min |
| Carpet area matches MahaRERA’s for the flat type | MahaRERA project page | 5 min |
| Price per sq ft of carpet | Your calculator | 1 min |
| Compare with registered rates nearby | Our project pages, IGR | 10 min |
See the registered rates
Each report sets the builder’s registered sales next to what listings ask, with the measurement spelled out. Each project’s preview is free.
More checks before you pay: what to check before the token.
Sources
- The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016: sections 2(k) and 4(2)(h).
- MahaRERA, Deepak Pande v. Larsen & Toubro Ltd., complaint CC006000000100256, 17 Aug 2021.
- Registered agreements, IGR Maharashtra, 2026, as read for our reports.