Living area of the house: what is included, calculation rules

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, various real estate transactions in our country are very popular. Each person when buying or selling an apartment is faced with two concepts - the main and living area. Most people think they are the same thing, but the terms actually have completely different meanings. It is quite difficult to figure them out on your own, so in most cases people turn to qualified specialists. However, this is not at all necessary. Let's take a closer look at what is included in the living area of the house and how to correctly calculate it.

General information

Before we start calculating, let's first understand the main aspects. It is very important to be able to correctly determine the area of housing, since it is one of the most important criteria affecting the cost of an apartment. But you also need to understand what it includes. A dwelling is an isolated part of the space of a building intended for independent use by residents. In turn, the concept of area means the total numberpremises that are part of the apartment. Having an idea of how to calculate it correctly, you will be able to make the most profitable real estate transaction, regardless of what exactly you are interested in - buying or selling.

The main components of the apartment

What is included in the living area of the house? Before answering this question, it is necessary to understand its main components. Any property, regardless of area and number of rooms, has three of them:

• total area;
• residential;
• flat area.

If you do not understand these concepts, you will not be able to be sure which apartment you are buying. The main problem with this is that not all sellers provide such information to their customers. As a result, people overpay and face many problems in the future.

Total area

Let's take a closer look at this. This concept is basic, so we will start the analysis of the theory with it. The total area of the house is the total number of all rooms included in the apartment, intended for living and household needs. It is important to understand that, according to the Housing Code, it does not include balconies and loggias, which are not considered part of the apartment. However, those who want to sell their living space as expensive as possible indicate them, which is a gross violation of the law.

Knowing the total area makes it possible to understand how many rooms you will receive when buying an apartmentnot only for living, but also for the implementation of other needs. This indicator includes:

• bathroom;
• toilet;
• kitchen;
• bedroom;
• living room;
• hallway;
• dressing room;
• pantry;
• corridors
• other rooms.

As for balconies, loggias, terraces, verandas and the space located under the stairs, they have nothing to do with the apartment, so they should be indicated in the technical documentation in a different column. This nuance must be taken into account when buying / selling real estate.

Living area

As mentioned earlier, this term refers to all premises intended for the personal use of residents. At first glance, everything is very simple and clear, but, as practice shows, most people do not understand what is included in the living area of the house. And this is not surprising, because apartments can have a different number of rooms, as well as additional utility rooms. For example, each dwelling has a sanitary unit and a pantry. Some citizens refer to them as living rooms, which in fact are not.

Residential space includes only premises intended for personal use. These include:

• bedroom;
• living room;
• pantry.

When calculating this indicator, the bathroom, kitchen, corridor and other premises that are of secondary nature and not intended for living are not taken into account.

Squareapartments

This term refers to the whole property. It includes both the total and living area of the apartment building, as well as additional facilities. It is in it that a balcony and a loggia are indicated, for which the space is called useful. In our country, this indicator is taken into account when concluding real estate transactions, while abroad only operated premises are taken into account. Because of this, many people have a misunderstanding of the difference in different types of area. How to count it correctly will be discussed later.

Why know the size of living space?

Let's take a closer look at this aspect. This indicator may be necessary for the implementation of a variety of goals. So, for example, without knowing the living area of a house, you cannot:

• design a plan for future housing;
• draw up an estimate for the construction of a new building;
• carry out the interior decoration of the premises;
• execute documents for an apartment;
• make a redevelopment of the house;
• perform various real estate transactions, for example, rent or sell;
• draw up a technical plan for housing.

Incorrect calculations may cause various problems that result in significant financial losses. Therefore, you should be able to independently determine the living area of the property. Read on for how to do this.

Calculation rules

We figured out the concepts and basicconstituent apartments. Now let's figure out how to calculate the living area. This aspect is one of the most important, since it is he who has a key influence on the formation of the value of real estate. It was said above which premises fall under the definition of residential, so there should be no problems with the calculations. Everything is very simple. You must determine the footage of each room and add together the results.

In addition, you can find out the area of the apartment from the technical passport, which is stored in the BTI. To obtain it, you need to contact a separate bureau, providing the following package of documents:

• civil passport;
• document certifying ownership of housing;
• statement of the established form;
• receipt for payment of state fees.

If a registration certificate was not issued for an apartment or a redevelopment was carried out in it, then in this case you need to call a specialist to take all the measurements and draw up the relevant documentation. You can also use the services of independent organizations that specialize in calculating the living space of a house, however, you will have to pay for their services. But there is also a positive side, namely the speed of work. They will be able to do everything in a few days, while waiting for a specialist from the BTI can drag on for several months.

Conclusion

Here, in fact, is all the information that is needed in order to understand all the nuances associated withcalculation of the living area of the apartment. As you can see, everything is much simpler than it seems at first glance. However, this knowledge will help you avoid getting scammed when trying to buy or sell real estate, which happens all too often. However, purchase / sale transactions are associated with many other problems and pitfalls, so a preliminary consultation with qualified specialists and experienced lawyers will definitely not be superfluous. Do not rush, but better to understand everything in detail and study every little thing.