Buy Mumbai Flats on Carpet Area Only

Goodbye super built-up area. Long live transparency, if it can survive the first gasps of breath. Once again, despite some typical obfuscation, the Maharashtra government appears to be taking some steps to make home sales more transparent for the buyer.

On Monday, the Maharashtra Legislative Council will pass a bill, which will make it mandatory for builders to sell homes on a carpet area basis, rather than the ubiquitous measures called "built-up", "super built-up" and in some cases "super super built-up" areas. Things are so ludicrous that one contact in the building industry said that builders could soon be charging for floating particulate matter in the air around Mumbai.

For those who don't know, super built-up area is basically the area that is occupied by the lift, passages, balconies, ledges, parapets, terrace space etc, which builders claim as part of the apartment.

The tragedy of super built-up for the home buyer was that while these spaces are either part of design extensions or areas of common use, you pay the same rate for these non-utility or common use spaces, as for the living space within the home. There is no justification for charging a price of say Rs 5,000 per square feet, for the apartment, as well as for the passage outside.

The new bill will make things more transparent for the buyer, who usually cannot understand or argue against the super built-up component.

Although the new bill does make allowances for promoters to charge for common areas and special facilities in proportion to the carpet area, this in itself may not be a bad idea. Gymnasium, badminton court, tennis lawn, party room, etc., will henceforth not be charged as part of the apartment, but as charges for additional facilities.

No one expects prices to come down because of this new bill, but every home buyer can now expect a modicum of clarity.