Living and total area of the apartment: what does it include?

Every owner, at least once in his life, has had the need to buy or sell real estate. In addition to specific designations, the advertisements indicate the cost of one square meter of the area being sold. It is very different, so you need to understand what it means and on what basis the area of the apartment is calculated. To clarify, you will need to learn to find differences in the terminology applied to the rooms in the apartment.

What it is

In various transactions, the areas of apartments are described as general, residential, auxiliary (utility). By “residential” we mean the space of rooms for various purposes, where people actually live. Auxiliary areas include areas for domestic purposes (kitchen areas, bathrooms, pantries, built-in cabinet sections). All areas of the apartment are taken as the area of the apartment, excluding the balcony, loggia, and veranda. Here it should be explained why these objects are not counted when adding up the meters of an apartment.

Hanging balcony structures, adjacent terraces and loggias in construction design documentation are classified as general types of premises; they are considered cold and are a general type of property, as are flights of stairs, landings, elevator cabins, and vestibules. In modern buildings in these areas, staircases are increasingly being added, running from the first to the last floor, especially in high-rise buildings. These structures are classified as emergency fire exits; they are prohibited from being dismantled and access to them is prohibited.

The concept of “total area of an apartment” is used in construction terminology and is used in the development of project documentation. It is needed to calculate square meters occupied by all areas of living space in the house. In this calculation, meters of balconies or loggias are added to the areas of apartments with a correction reduction factor of 0.3 and 0.5, respectively.

For terraces, a coefficient value of 1.0 is applied. This is done in order to add to the cost estimate for these areas, since building materials for them are required in smaller volumes than in the main areas. This formulation is also used in statistical departments that calculate the amount of housing stock under construction.

Sometimes there is confusion in the understanding of the term total living space.

In Art. No. 15 Residential Complex of the Russian Federation is all the meters of apartment space without balcony structures and loggias.

The instructions for accounting for housing stock say the same thing, but taking into account these areas.

In addition, the instructions contain the concept of “apartment area”, which has the same meaning as the term used in residential complexes – “total living space”.

In fact, in title documents, the total area of an apartment refers to the concept defined in the Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

What coefficients are used when calculating

For correct calculations, you need to know what is included in the living area of the apartment, and also take into account certain coefficients. All current rules on this issue can be found in SNIPs. For each type of premises, a different coefficient is used.

If calculations are carried out indicating the area of the loggia, then a coefficient of 0.5 must be applied. Balconies and terraces are considered with an indicator of 0.3. If the house has a veranda, then a coefficient of 1 should be used.

When making calculations, you need to remember simple mathematical techniques, for example, how to calculate the area of a square or rectangle. It all depends on the shape of the room. But there are also non-standard rooms. In this case, all walls are measured. Let's look at how to do this correctly below.

Why are calculations needed?

On a regional scale, knowing the total area of the housing stock is necessary for statistical offices to assess their resource, to harmonize social norms, as well as to calculate tariffs for utility bills. In some types of provision of public utility services, the entire area of the apartment is the regulatory basis for calculating payment for:

heating;
overhaul;
maintenance and current repairs of the common property of a residential building;
removal and disposal of solid waste.

Also, based on the standard number of meters per resident, the size of the additional area is calculated for those who have the right to it. For example, military personnel and members of their families. In real estate transactions, the value of this parameter is the main criterion for calculating the cost of housing.

The provision of subsidies by the social service depends on how many meters the living space occupies; it is taken into account when establishing guardianship and when concluding transactions with various real estate.

When purchasing a home, you should carefully look at the ratio of residential and non-residential space.

This is necessary to determine the degree of comfort, since the rooms can be large, but the kitchen area and bathroom area can be tiny.

When it is important to know the difference between the living area and the total area of the apartment

When choosing real estate, it is important to remember that balconies or loggias are not included in the total area of the property . When purchasing an apartment, it is worth checking whether the owner (the development company) included them in the overall square footage of the apartment. This is important, since the total area of all premises affects the market value. Sometimes the footage of a balcony or loggia can be taken into account, but then this must be done with a reduced coefficient.
The living area is always less than the total area , with the exception of the case discussed above, therefore, even if two apartments have the same total square footage, one apartment may seem smaller than the other due to the smaller area of the living rooms.
It is important to know that fees for housing maintenance and major repairs, as well as utility bills (in the absence of an individual meter), directly depend on the total living space . Property tax and rental fees are also calculated.
The size of the living space is the main indicator for determining the degree of need of a family to improve living conditions. Also, this indicator will play a decisive role when allocating housing to a family under a social lease agreement or allocating funds for its purchase under government social programs, for example, for young families, orphans and military personnel.
In an apartment building, the common property is divided between the apartment owners, also based on the total square footage of the occupied apartments. And this share, in turn, is decisive in the distribution of the number of votes at the general meeting of owners in apartment buildings. That is, the more squares there are in the property, the greater the role the owner plays in resolving general house issues.

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There are many situations in life when knowing which concept is used and when can be useful. Awareness of this issue will help in real estate transactions or in monitoring the correct calculation of utility bills and determining social norms, which can greatly make life easier and save the family budget.

Differences between types of areas in an apartment

Expert opinion

Mironova Anna Sergeevna

Generalist lawyer. Specializes in family issues, civil, criminal and housing law

When calculating the area of an apartment, you should measure the rooms and living areas located in it. We will add up the results of measurements of rooms and areas that do not fall under the concept of living space area. These include kitchen departments, corridor areas, bathrooms, wardrobes in niches, pantries.

In two-level apartments, staircases and the area underneath them are considered similar zones; the area occupied by heating stoves or fireplaces that are used for heating is not considered.

Residential space is considered to be a separate space of dining rooms, children's rooms, bedrooms and living rooms, which is classified as real estate. They must meet sanitary standards and be suitable for permanent residence. Domestic areas are not included in the living area of the apartment, since it is not possible to live in them permanently.

The concepts of common and living areas of an apartment can be found in the instructions (clause 3.34; 3.35; 3.36; 3.37).

Total area of the apartment

The total area of a residential premises consists of the sum of the areas of all parts of such a premises: hallway, bedrooms, living room, kitchen, dressing room, pantry, bath and toilet. The exceptions are balconies, loggias, verandas and terraces.

The general quadrature is used for the purpose of calculating utility bills for heating and determining the base for calculating the tax on living space.

It is necessary to distinguish from the total area of housing the area that includes balconies, loggias, terraces using reduction factors: for loggias - 0.5, for balconies and terraces - 0.3, for verandas and cold storage rooms - 1.0. This indicator is used to calculate fees for housing maintenance and repair (maintenance), and to calculate the amount of subsidies for housing and utilities.

What is meant by usable area?

In transactions of purchase and sale of housing, the price per 1 sq. m appears.
m. Sellers, in most cases, voice this figure without specifying which meters are included in the calculation. Usually there is a share of slyness, and the price is based on the total square footage of the house along the outer perimeter. This is where the term “usable area” appears, which means the actual size of the interior of a residential building or apartment, with the exception of the footage of balconies and loggias. When calculating usable areas, the thickness of the walls is not taken into account. If you need to measure the useful meters of an apartment, then this is done on the inside of the walls, not including the thickness of the partitions, which occupy a significant proportion. If you calculate the size of the usable area, the price of one square meter of housing turns out to be higher than what sellers indicate.

What is included in the living area of the apartment? 2021

How often in everyday life do we come across the concepts of “total” and “living” area of an apartment? Quite rare, you'll agree. We remember these terms only when we want to buy or sell housing, calculate fees for housing and utilities, or find out whether we can qualify for a subsidy.

And then it becomes important to know the formulation, scope and methodology for calculating various types of areas. But first things first.

Find out how to solve your specific problem. right now through the form (below), and one of our lawyers will call you back to provide a free consultation.

The total area of an apartment is the sum of the square footage of all its parts. This interpretation is offered to us by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation (LC RF), which describes the scope of application of the general footage.

What is included in the total living area? Bedrooms, children's rooms, living rooms and auxiliary parts used for household and other needs of citizens. Auxiliary areas are corridors, kitchens, bathrooms, pantries, built-in wardrobes and internal stairs.

Important! The Housing Code of the Russian Federation clearly states that unheated premises - balconies, loggias, verandas and terraces - are not included in the total area of the property.

Now let’s find out what is usually calculated based on the total footage:

The amount of payment for the maintenance, current and major repairs of an apartment building.
Utilities - payment for heating (in the absence of individual metering devices) and general house needs (owners' share in the joint property of a residential building).
Property tax. When calculating the tax base (based on the cadastral value of living space), the law provides for deductions that are calculated from the total square footage.
Housing rental fee (for non-privatized apartments).
Accounting standard for room area. It is used to judge the level of provision of citizens with square meters. If there is a shortage, you can register as those in need of improved housing conditions.
The minimum size of a residential property , which is provided under a social contract. hiring a separate category of people (disabled people, military personnel, etc.).
Calculation of the amount of social subsidies for housing under programs to improve living conditions of the population.

We recommend arming yourself with a long ruler (preferably a tape measure), a recording tool, and, if desired, a calculator and an assistant.

Initially, we measure each room separately: we calculate the width and length (it is more convenient to calculate using the baseboard) and multiply these values among themselves.

If the room has an unusual shape (for example, trapezoidal), it will be easier to divide it into rectangles, calculate the square meter of each and then add them up. To avoid trying to remember everything in your head, sketch out the room on a piece of paper and enter the measurements there.

After calculating the footage of all parts of the living space, we add up the results and display the total square footage.

Important! Sometimes redevelopment of an apartment may entail a change in the size of the area. For example, insulating a balcony and installing a battery there will lead to the inclusion of this area in the total square meters.

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The Housing Code of the Russian Federation makes many references to general quadrature, but says almost nothing about residential quadrature. However, this concept is widely used in practice, so let’s try to figure out what we’re talking about.

The essence of living space is revealed by the Order of the Ministry of Land Policy, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation (N 37, 08/04/1998) “On approval of the Instructions on the accounting of housing stock in the Russian Federation” (hereinafter referred to as Order No. 37).

According to the document, the living area of an apartment is the summed square footage of all premises suitable for habitation.

A natural question arises: what is included in the living space of an apartment? This is the territory of living space, which is intended for the direct life of citizens, and where sanitary and technical conditions are met.

We conclude that the living space in the apartment is considered to be the same main rooms - bedrooms, children's rooms, living rooms, but without auxiliary rooms. Even if you sleep or spend most of your time in the kitchen or bathroom, they cannot be considered when taking into account your living space.

Residential quadrature is used in the following cases:

provision of residential premises in a hostel or for the creation of a flexible fund (intended for temporary residence of citizens in connection with the major repairs of the residential premises they occupy) - at least 6 square meters per person;
setting living space standards according to sanitary and hygienic rules;
carrying out procedures related to the purchase and sale or rental of real estate.

The first difference is size. The residential area is a priori smaller than the general area, since it is part of it.

The second is the purpose of use. Residential square meters are taken into account when characterizing the living conditions of citizens, and general square meters are taken into account when calculating the price of real estate and utility payments for it.

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There is a third option - the area of the apartment. According to Order No. 37, the area of an apartment includes square meters of living and auxiliary rooms, excluding unheated areas (balconies, verandas, etc.).

We can conclude that “apartment area” and “total square footage” from the Housing Code of the Russian Federation are equivalent concepts.

In turn, the total area according to Order No. 37 is the result of adding the square footage of all parts of the apartment, built-in wardrobes and terraces, balconies, cold storage rooms, etc., but with a reducing factor:

balconies, terraces - 0.3;
loggias - 0.5;
verandas, storage rooms - 1.0.

The footnotes to the order say that earlier, when compiling statistics on the housing stock, the concept of “total area” was used in an equivalent interpretation with “apartment area”.

The concept of general quadrature, in its meaning according to Order No. 37, is used in the construction of buildings and maintaining a technical inventory of the housing stock. In other situations, the interpretation is taken from the Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

In shared construction, there are often situations when the same rules for determining footage are used during design, and after construction is completed, the square meters are recalculated, and a different footage is indicated in the technical passport.

Important! To avoid possible disagreements, when purchasing a home and preparing documents, be sure to check with the developer (seller) what calculation they take as a basis: with or without balconies, loggias, terraces, etc.

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Now you know what types of footage exist, their meaning and scope, as well as how to determine the area of an apartment.

Knowing the difference between a general area and a residential area, it is easy to understand what the price of housing is made up of, how rent is calculated, and to follow the methodology for calculating social norms and payments. If utility services or developers performed the calculations incorrectly, being savvy in this matter will significantly save the family budget.

Don't want to overpay for square meters? We tell you what the total area is. We explain how to correctly calculate the area of an apartment and defend your rights in court in 2021.

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Total area of the apartment

- this is the total area of residential and non-residential premises of the apartment, except for loggias, balconies, terraces and verandas. To avoid being deceived, carefully study the preliminary documents for the apartment before purchasing. If you know what the total area is and how to calculate it, you will not overpay for extra square meters.

This square footage is also taken into account when paying for utilities. This area consists of:

rooms suitable for living;

rooms for cooking;

built-in wall cabinets;

niches located in the walls;

This is an outdated concept that was previously used when calculating utilities. The total area shown includes all rooms of the apartment, including utility rooms - storage rooms, balconies, and so on. For balconies, loggias, and terraces, a special reduction factor is used, because these areas are not considered residential and are classified as common areas.

General - absolutely the entire square footage of housing. Only residential premises are counted as residential - bedrooms, living rooms and other living rooms. That is, the toilet, bathroom, kitchen, dressing rooms and everything else is not considered living space.

❓ Which rooms and premises to count.

All living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, storage rooms are included in the common area.

❓ Is the loggia included in the total area of the apartment.

Loggias, balconies, and terraces belong to common areas of the house and are not considered residential. They are taken into account with a reduction factor. We will tell you more about the coefficient further.

If you have attached a loggia to the living room or bedroom, you may be fined. The connection of a loggia to a living room cannot be legalized; it is prohibited by law.

❓ Do you need partitions?

It turns out that walls and partitions are also included in the general quadrature. They are considered parts of auxiliary or main premises. According to the provisions of the Housing Code and Building Codes, these auxiliary parts must also be included in the total area. The distance must be measured along the perimeter of the walls - 1.1–1.3 meters from the floor. It is worth taking into account niches and arched openings with a height of 2 meters, the internal staircase and the space under it, protruding structural elements, heating stoves.

Anything that extends beyond the common walls of the building is not considered an apartment.

Terraces, loggias and balconies are included in the “summer premises” section and are not suitable for living according to the Housing Code.

Coefficient

- this is a legal reduction in the total cost of the apartment. The ratio of balcony to living area is 0.3. To increase the square footage of a summer room, multiply its area by 0.3 and add it to the rest of the rooms. If it is a loggia, it refers to a built-in unheated room with a coefficient of 0.5. These figures will be useful for the papers of the Bureau of Technical Inventory.

Remember that the purchase and sale agreement must include a floor plan. Check out the footage of the summer unheated sections to check whether the coefficient has been applied to them.

If the summer room is insulated, it is considered residential. To avoid problems with BTI and legal costs, make similar changes to the redevelopment, and the square footage of warm balconies to the living area without coefficients.

Although the coefficient of loggias and balconies is confirmed by non-regulatory acts, it indicates inconsistencies in the laws. You think that you have paid for the entire square footage of your apartment, however, by law, balconies are included in the common property of the house. Therefore, your personal possession will only be the footage between the walls, and the common property of the apartment building is:

The right of private property extends only to what is within these limits. In such a case, it is unlawful to demand payment for extra unheated meters. Naturally, there will be no complaints regarding the use of this space. But remember that you should not damage or interfere with public property, so as not to receive a fine.

Housing price

will depend entirely on this parameter. Therefore, learn to correctly calculate the total area so that you are not deceived. To do this, read the layout and write down the footage of each room, add up the resulting numbers. Or measure the premises you want to purchase yourself. Remember that you need to measure the apartment along the inside of the baseboard.

If you count the squares yourself

, prepare:

✅ paper, pencil or pen for writing;

✅ protractor for measuring non-standard angles;

✅ calculator with √ and sin signs.

For square and rectangular rooms

The calculation is simple - multiply the length of two walls from one corner. For example, if one wall is 4 meters and the second is 8, multiply the values and get a room with an area of 32 m2. This way you measure all the rooms in the apartment. If you end up with uneven numbers, leave two digits after the decimal point for rounding.

Non-standard shapes of premises.

Non-standard rooms are divided into rectangles or triangles and the resulting result is added.

Round - use the formula S = Pi*r^2.

Pi = 3.14, r is the radius, that is, half of the straight line from one edge to the other, passing through the center.

Triangular - calculated using the formula S = √(P/2(P/2 -A)×(P/2 - B)×(P/2 - C)).

A, B, C are the sides of the triangle, P is the perimeter, the sum of all sides. After counting everything in parentheses, use the square root sign on your calculator.

Walls.

Multiply the length of the wall by the thickness. For example, thickness is 0.3 meters, length is 5 meters, then S = 0.3*5 = 1.5 m2.m

Does the balcony count towards the total area of the apartment??

It is considered a common house area. Use the coefficient for balconies and multiply it by the area of the balcony.

According to Order of the Ministry of Land Construction of the Russian Federation dated August 4, 1998 No. 37, the residential areas include the territories of all living rooms of the apartment. To determine the living area of an apartment, calculate it using formulas or sum up the squares of the room according to the documented layout.

You can increase your living space by adding storage rooms, corridors, loggias, and so on. This will require redevelopment and execution of appropriate documentation. The redevelopment must be registered in the technical passport.

If you change the layout, but do not legalize it, your additional residential squares will not be valid. Before calculating living space, coordinate changes with local authorities.

Price.

The market price for apartments is formed by taking into account the total number of useful square meters. Therefore, it is important to accurately determine the area of the property you are purchasing.

Litigation.

The coefficient makes it possible to challenge in court the specified square footage of the developer and the amount for purchasing the apartment. Check documents confirming ownership. They must contain all information about auxiliary premises. If the information is not documented, the trial will drag on.

determination of the tax base for property tax of individuals;

provision of housing under a social tenancy agreement;

payment of monetary compensation for renting residential premises by military personnel.

Analyze the situation in advance.

Before concluding a purchase and sale agreement, ask the seller whether extensions are included in the overall size of the apartment and on what basis. Often, an unscrupulous seller will evade a direct answer. The standard excuse is the impossibility of making a final calculation of the price of housing at the moment due to ongoing construction. He may refer to the lack of technical documentation for the object, but this is not so.

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Study the BTI conclusions.

After the house is built, the state commission accepts the finished object. In order to deliver the property, the developer must know the exact number of square meters of construction. Local BTI specialists help with calculations and record them in documents with summary data tables. The data is divided into categories, including unheated rooms. Then BTI employees issue certificates for individual apartments with the mandatory application of a reduction factor.

Talk to the developer again.

After examination, measurements and receipt of a certificate, the developer can name the exact sale price of each apartment. If he refuses to take into account the reduction factor in the calculations, contact the judicial authorities for support. If you are right, the cost of housing will be reduced.

Sometimes developers include their own coefficients in regulations, for example, 0.8 or 0.4. This is illegal data that does not comply with SNiPs. You have the right to hold such a developer accountable and compensate for damages for deception. However, if the developer decided to cover the losses and completely removed additional extensions from the calculation of square footage and increased the price per square meter, you will not be able to take him to court. This is legal and all that remains is to make an informed decision about purchasing housing from one developer or another.

To protect your interests in court

The norms of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation will help. It regulates all issues related to residential premises in apartment buildings. Pay special attention to Article 15 - there you will find a definition of the object of housing rights. The difference in types of premises is described in Article No. 16 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. Article 17 specifies the purpose of residential premises and limits of use.

Additionally you will find it useful

SNiPs of 2003 and Federal Law No. 384-FZ of December 30, 2009. The Federal Law has a higher priority, therefore it cancels some paragraphs of the editions of SNiPs from 2003 and the Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

Be sure to review the latest information on housing laws or seek professional help. This will help you save on buying a home or protect your interests in controversial issues.

And then it becomes important to know the formulation, scope and methodology for calculating various types of areas. But first things first.

Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique.

Important! The Housing Code of the Russian Federation clearly states that unheated premises - balconies, loggias, verandas and terraces - are not included in the total area of the property.

Now let’s find out what is usually calculated based on the total footage:

The amount of payment for the maintenance, current and major repairs of an apartment building.
Utilities - payment for heating (in the absence of individual metering devices) and general house needs (owners' share in the joint property of a residential building).
Property tax. When calculating the tax base (based on the cadastral value of living space), the law provides for deductions that are calculated from the total square footage.
Housing rental fee (for non-privatized apartments).
Accounting standard for room area. It is used to judge the level of provision of citizens with square meters. If there is a shortage, you can register as those in need of improved housing conditions.
The minimum size of a residential property , which is provided under a social contract. hiring a separate category of people (disabled people, military personnel, etc.).
Calculation of the amount of social subsidies for housing under programs to improve living conditions of the population.

We recommend arming yourself with a long ruler (preferably a tape measure), a recording tool, and, if desired, a calculator and an assistant.

Initially, we measure each room separately: we calculate the width and length (it is more convenient to calculate using the baseboard) and multiply these values among themselves.

After calculating the footage of all parts of the living space, we add up the results and display the total square footage.

According to the document, the living area of an apartment is the summed square footage of all premises suitable for habitation.

Residential quadrature is used in the following cases:

provision of residential premises in a hostel or for the creation of a flexible fund (intended for temporary residence of citizens in connection with the major repairs of the residential premises they occupy) - at least 6 square meters per person;
setting living space standards according to sanitary and hygienic rules;
carrying out procedures related to the purchase and sale or rental of real estate.

The first difference is size. The residential area is a priori smaller than the general area, since it is part of it.

We can conclude that “apartment area” and “total square footage” from the Housing Code of the Russian Federation are equivalent concepts.

balconies, terraces - 0.3;
loggias - 0.5;
verandas, storage rooms - 1.0.

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The footnotes to the order say that earlier, when compiling statistics on the housing stock, the concept of “total area” was used in an equivalent interpretation with “apartment area”.

Now you know what types of footage exist, their meaning and scope, as well as how to determine the area of an apartment.

Didn't find the answer to your question? Find out how to solve exactly your problem - call right now:

Many citizens who are going to carry out any transaction with their real estate, or rather an apartment, are interested in the question of what is included in the living space of the apartment, because the more space allocated for living, the correspondingly higher the price of the property, this is quite normal. You should also know that the premises have not only residential, but also other types of areas. Everything that directly concerns the size of housing needs to be understood and understood, then you will be able to choose the most suitable housing.

This term refers to the total footage of all premises located in the housing, and it does not matter whether they are residential or utility.

These meters are used when calculating payments for utilities, in a sales contract, etc. It consists of:

Rooms that are suitable for living in them.
Children's room, living room and bedroom.
A room reserved for cooking.
Cabinets that are built into the wall.
Niches located in the walls.
Loggia.
The corridor is also included in it.
Terrace.
Veranda.

Everything is very simple, to find out what the estimated area of the entire apartment is, you should find out the footage of each room, and then sum up the resulting values . Determining the square meters of rooms is quite simple, using formulas familiar to everyone from a regular mathematics course at school. Please note that measurements are taken exclusively on the inside of the baseboard.

You may also find the formulas from the following article useful: how to calculate square meters (with examples). ⇐

This is an important question that arises among people interested in calculating the total area of their home. The answer to this is found in the Housing Code and SNiP. It clearly states that they are part of the general living area.

Please note that the distance required to calculate the total area is measured along the perimeter of all walls at a height of 1.1 to 1.3 meters from the floor.

Many people are interested in what exactly relates to the square footage of an apartment, for example, whether the kitchen is included in the living area of the apartment . The answer is simple - no. After all, by definition it is clear that residential means suitable for living. Even if the cooking room is equipped with everything necessary for sleeping, it is still not residential.

Hence the conclusion that the living area is the total square footage of all rooms suitable for living, for example, a bedroom, living room, children's room and other similar rooms. All other rooms, such as the kitchen, balcony, bathroom, etc., do not belong to the living space.

There are several options for how to do this, for example, often the total area of your living space is already known. Then it is enough to calculate the footage of all premises that are not residential, and subtract the resulting result from the total area. But it may also be that the value of the entire footage of the apartment is unknown and there is no time to determine it.

You should calculate the area of each habitable room, and then add them up. The resulting value will be the living area of the apartment.

This has already been mentioned before, but it’s worth repeating just in case. All premises that are not suitable for living are not included in the living area of the apartment.

That is, it turns out that the kitchen, bath, toilet, balcony and similar rooms are not part of the living space of your house . Take this into account and exclude them when calculating, otherwise you will get the wrong footage!

First of all, it affects the cost of the apartment; the size of utility bills directly depends on the cubic capacity. For example, payment for heating is calculated taking into account the total area of the living space, excluding those rooms that are not heated. If there are no meters, payments for hot and cold water are calculated in the same way.

Not long ago, housing and communal services introduced “Common Household Needs”. They are also related to the square footage of the apartment. All homeowners pay TDS in relation to the area of the premises they own.

Many apartment owners do not agree with its layout, so they often want to make a renovation, that is, change the current arrangement of rooms, thereby making the living area larger or smaller. Before doing this, you need to obtain the appropriate permission:

The citizen collects the necessary documents and submits them to the competent authority, which can be found at the location of the apartment.
Consideration of the application can last 45 days from the date of its submission, then the owner will receive a response in writing.
If the answer is positive, you can begin redevelopment.

Attention! If the answer is negative, it can be challenged in court. To do this, the citizen must submit an application, to which he must attach all documents confirming that the refusal is illegal.

List of documents that need to be submitted to the competent authority:

Technical certificate.
Inquiry as to whether construction work can be carried out.
Ready redevelopment project.
Documents confirming that the citizen is the owner of the property.
Permission to carry out redevelopment from all co-owners.
Technical expertise confirming that it is permissible to make changes to the current layout. Its results may prohibit doing this if the building of the house is, for example, dilapidated. This should be taken seriously.

In some cases, this list may be longer. A government agency official will notify you when the property owner submits a request.

Important! Do not remodel without permission, this can lead to fines and even confiscation of property.

Now you know what the living space of an apartment consists of and have decided what this concept is. It includes exclusively residential premises; it should also not be confused with the living area, which implies the total footage of the entire apartment.

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How is the living area of an apartment calculated?

The living area of the premises is defined as the sum of the sizes of all living rooms. The registration certificate for real estate contains all the dimensional data of premises for various purposes. When purchasing real estate, it is enough to check the square footage of rooms and utility rooms. This is relevant if no redevelopment has been carried out.

Often, owners improve their living space to create more comfortable living conditions. By reducing the size of housing, built-in wardrobe structures are made or the spaces of rooms are combined. Widening doorways or installing arches is common.

You should carefully consider these facts when purchasing a home.

All these alterations fall under the concept of “reconstruction” and require permission to carry out the work.

If you have any doubts when purchasing, you can find out and calculate the living area of the apartment yourself. It is necessary to measure the square footage of the rooms along the inner perimeter of the walls and add them up - we get the desired value. Partitions that enter residential premises are not included in the calculation.

Calculating the living space of rooms of non-standard shape can be puzzling. In this case, we divide the entire perimeter of the room into familiar shapes: squares, rectangles, triangles. We find the arithmetic value of the area of each figure, sum them up and get the result.

If the room has a recess in the form of a niche, then, by law, it is included in the area of the living room if its height is more than two meters. The size of stoves and fireplaces is excluded from residential meters.

Formula applied

Let's look at the example of determining the living space of a standard three-room apartment with a balcony. Room sizes are 20, 18, and 15 square meters. m, kitchen – 9 sq. m, bathroom – 8 sq. m, toilet - 5 sq. m, corridor – 2.5 sq. m, balcony – 3 sq. m. Total amount (calculated without balcony):

20+18+15+9+8+5+2.5=77.5 sq. m.

Living area is: 20+18+15=53 sq. m.

Does a balcony or loggia count?

When calculating residential square meters of an apartment, the dimensions of balcony structures and loggias are not taken into account. However, if the redevelopment was carried out legally, and the copyright holder insulated and combined the balcony or loggia with the living room, then these meters will be added to the living area. In this case, the owner must have the appropriate document for the redevelopment and a registration certificate for the home ownership, prepared after the refurbishment, which indicates all the changes made.

If illegal redevelopment takes place in a real estate purchase and sale transaction, then it is better to refuse the purchase, since this housing cannot participate in mortgage lending, inheritance, or gift. When buying such an apartment, you should think about whether you need to buy so many problems with it. If you yourself are thinking about this issue, then do not remodel without obtaining permits.

How to officially make a payment

Calculation of housing sizes is carried out for a specific purpose:

real estate transaction;
calculation of the amount of building materials for construction or finishing;
registration of ownership;
production of technical passport:
obtaining permission for reconstruction or redevelopment;
rental.

Expert opinion

Mironova Anna Sergeevna

Generalist lawyer. Specializes in family issues, civil, criminal and housing law

In all cases, an error in calculations can play a cruel joke: there will not be enough building materials for repairs or construction, permission for alterations will be denied, or an inaccuracy will creep into the purchase and sale agreement, and the transaction may be declared invalid.

A safe and correct decision would be to contact a company licensed to carry out measurements. Such organizations have all the technical means to carry out accurate calculations and an appropriate set of instruments to perform these tasks.

Living space

Many people are interested in exactly what components are included in the concept of living space in an apartment. The question is controversial. Especially if we consider not a studio apartment, but an ordinary home. It can have a huge variety of rooms.

For example, does the living area of an apartment include a kitchen? No. After all, just by one definition of the term it is clear - residential is an area suitable for living. And the kitchen is not included here. Even if it is completely refurbished so that you can sleep here.

Thus, the living area is the total sum of all living rooms. This includes: bedrooms, children's rooms, living rooms, guest rooms and so on. But the hallway bathroom and kitchen cannot be classified as residential. The balcony does not apply here either. Calculating this component is easy and simple. First, calculate the space in each room, then add everything up. Everything is easy and simple!

Calculations for a private house

When determining the size of living space in a private household, the calculation principle is no different.
To determine it, you need to measure the entire living space where there is heating and add up the result. The entire area of the household will consist of the sum of residential and living areas (bathroom, kitchen area, storage room, niches, veranda). To find the number of square meters under the building, measurements are taken of the external walls of the house along the perimeter. If there is a need to calculate finishing materials, facade measurements of the walls of the house are performed along the base and cornice. The resulting number is multiplied by the height of all walls, and the desired value is found.

All characteristics of a private household are taken into account in the cadastral passport. It contains information about the location, data on internal and external measurements, purpose of the building, year of commissioning, cadastral number of the land plot, inventory value. There is also a construction plan and a description of the facility.

What does the area of the apartment affect?

The legislator distinguishes three types of residential premises:

The total area of the residential premises is used for the following purposes:

heating fee ;
calculating the homeowner’s share in the common property of an apartment building (the share is proportional to the size of the total area);
calculation of the tax base when paying tax on land located in common shared ownership (proportional to the size of the total area);
calculating the tax base when paying tax on residential premises and tax deduction for property tax for individuals;
determining the cost of 1 m 2 of total area when transferring residential premises to citizens if their previous home is recognized as unsafe and included in the regional program for relocating citizens from unsafe housing stock;
determining the standard for providing housing;
determining the accounting standard for residential premises based on the size of which, the level of housing provision for citizens is determined;
determining the size of housing space allocated under a social rental agreement or for ownership of various categories of persons (military personnel, disabled people, orphans, etc.);
calculating the amount of gratuitous social payments for housing using federal budget funds.

At the moment, 28 constituent entities of the Russian Federation have switched to this order, including Moscow, Buryatia, Bashkortostan, Vladimir, Ivanovo regions, etc. In connection with this change in the procedure for calculating tax, the tax burden on citizens increases, so the legislator established deductions (tax-free areas) for residential properties in the amount of 20 m 2 of total area for an apartment, 10 m 2 for a room, 50 m 2 - for home.

This is important to know: Power of attorney for privatization of an apartment: sample 2021

Determining the size of living space is advisable for:

determining the size of the sanitary standard for housing;
provision of housing in a hostel (at least 6 m2 per person) (Article 105 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation);
housing assessments for concluding a real estate purchase and sale agreement;
drawing up an act of inspection of the living conditions of a minor by the guardianship and trusteeship authorities;
concluding a mortgage ;
drawing up a transfer and acceptance certificate under contracts of sale, exchange, rent, social tenancy.

Determining the area of the premises is carried out for the purposes of:

determining the size of housing owned by a citizen when providing him with an apartment under a social tenancy agreement;
statistical accounting of the housing stock in the Russian Federation, calculating the amount of payment for housing and utilities, determining the social standard of housing and other purposes;
calculating the cost of payment for general house needs;
calculating the amount of subsidies for housing and utilities.

Thus, the three categories of residential premises are used for different purposes and it is important to determine when and which category is used in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.