What is included in the living area of the apartment? The concept of common and living space

In Russia, issues of provision, use, possession, disposal, and payment for the use of residential premises are regulated by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation (LC RF) and a number of other regulations. Due to the importance of this issue, a number of norms of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation have imperative (unchangeable) character.

The legislation provides for three types of residential premises:

general;
living space;
apartment area.

These categories differ from each other in the way they calculate areas and use them for different purposes.

In contracts for shared participation in construction, there is another category - the designed area of residential premises, which may differ significantly from the total. When concluding contracts, it is necessary to take into account the norms of deviation from the total area of the residential premises and the procedure for increasing or decreasing the price for constructed housing.

Components of the total area

What else is worth paying attention to? For example, what does the total area of the home include? This important indicator also plays a role for many. Using it, you can determine what space is allocated in general for your needs, and not just for living. This includes:

bathroom;
toilet (with separate bathroom);
kitchen;
hallway;
wardrobe;
bedrooms;
living rooms;
other rooms and premises in the home.

Please note what has already been said earlier - balconies and loggias cannot be added to the total area. The Housing Code of the Russian Federation indicates that these premises do not belong to the apartment at all. Please take this into account. Often buyers are not aware of this rule at all, which entails negative consequences.

Another point is that various niches and stairs are included in the “common space” of the apartment, but under certain conditions. Which ones exactly? In addition to premises, it is also worth adding to this indicator:

niches from 2 meters in height;
internal staircases (the space under them);
arches more than 200 centimeters in height;
heating stoves;
protruding elements.

Improvement

From the point of view of improvement of the housing stock in Russia for 2021, the following indicators are present:

83% of the fund is equipped with a central water supply.
Drainage exists in 78% of cases.
86% have central heating.
Baths and showers – 71%.
Network or liquefied gas – 66%.
Hot water supply exists in 70% of the stock.
Whereas floor electric stoves are used only in 23% of cases.

These data are averaged, taking into account both urban and rural funds.

How to carry out calculations for a facility under construction

Before purchasing an object in a new building, it is necessary to determine what is included in the living area of the apartment. A feature of developers' marketing decisions may be changes in the general payment procedure. Therefore, when accepting an apartment, a buyer may be surprised to learn that the balcony is a living space. Although the law suggests the opposite.

Requirements for apartment premises are established by SANPIN standards dated 01/31/2003. The minimum size of apartments according to SANPIN does not include balconies, attics, loggias, terraces, vestibules, cold storage rooms and verandas. This principle applies not only during development, but also during cadastral registration.

However, the developer may provide other information. Therefore, studying the principle of calculation must be done before signing the contract. After signing and registering with Rosreestr, a citizen will be able to appeal the situation only in the event of a significant violation.

Conditions

Thus, as of mid-2021, the main indicators of housing conditions of the population of the Russian Federation, taking into account urban and rural areas, as well as the square footage of premises, are the following data:

There is an average of 25.8 m2 per resident of the country.
Moreover, in urban areas this figure is slightly lower - it is 25.4 m2.
And in rural areas - 26.9 m2.
The total number of apartments in the country is 66,900,000. This includes all premises, regardless of how many rooms and their square footage.
Of these, the majority are two-room apartments – that’s 25,700,000.
One-room apartments – 16,600,000.
There are slightly more three-room apartments - 18,700,000.
The number of four-room and multi-room apartments is insignificant and fluctuates around 5,400,000.
Thus, it can be noted that about 40% of the urban population lives in two-room apartments.
If we consider the statistics of the number of families that are registered as needing housing, then at the end of 2021 they amount to 4.3%.
If we talk about privatized housing from the total number, then by this moment it is 82%.

Division into types

Information about the types of premises is a component of the cadastral passport. On the cadastral plan, the specialist marks different areas with different colors. As a rule, red means residential premises, and blue means non-residential.

Having determined what the living space of an apartment is, it is necessary to stipulate exceptions; it does not include:

niches less than 1.8 m high;
a place located under the staircase, if the height of the stairs is less than 1.6 m (if the apartment has two levels);
the area under the fireplace or stove (provided that they are functional);
door openings;
arches less than 2 m wide.

Thus, the living area is the sum of all rooms, with the exception of non-residential premises. Let's consider why it is necessary to divide the premises of an apartment by type.

First of all, on the basis of such calculations, utility bills for housing are calculated. The amount of heating fees directly depends on the living space.

The second payment, calculated on the basis of the area, is the cost of general house needs. The total payment for the house is divided proportionally among all residents, according to the size of their living quarters.

Where can I find out about the area of the apartment?

If you are the owner, then the number of meters of your home is indicated in the technical passport and all legal documentation for your apartment or house. Also, for more detailed information, you can contact the Unified State Register of Real Estate. Such data can be obtained from the MFC in your area. To do this, you must submit an application at the reception or go to the official website. If the data in your technical documentation and the extract from Rosreestr do not correspond and have discrepancies, you need to contact that MFC with an application and all relevant documents to correct the error. The area of the apartment must be accurately determined. This is very important in calculating utilities when performing any transactions with this object.

Lawyer's answers to private questions

How to determine the living area of an apartment?

My husband and I are planning to divorce. We jointly own an apartment of 70 sq.m. with loggia 5 sq.m. Will it be taken into account in the total quadrature during the division, or not?

I will be selling my apartment soon. How should I indicate the total area in the ad: with or without a balcony?

Our house was declared unsafe. They plan to allocate new apartments, the old one is 55 sq.m. How will their area be calculated?

I added a room to a private house. Naturally, the total area has increased. What are my next steps?

Charts

Housing stock area in Russia in the 1980s

Area of housing stock in Russia in the 1980s (average per person)

Housing stock area in Russia in the 1990s

Area of housing stock in Russia in the 1990s (average per person)

Housing stock area in Russia in the 2000s

Area of housing stock in Russia in the 2000s (average per person)

Housing stock area in Russia in the 2010s

Area of housing stock in Russia in the 2010s (average per person)

Area of housing stock in Russia (general graph)

Housing stock area in Russia (general chart) (average per person))

Living space - what is it?

The difference between the total and living area of the apartment can be seen in the number of rooms included in the quadrature. Based on the name “living”, it is easy to understand that this includes living rooms intended or suitable for living:

bedrooms,
living rooms and halls,
children's and playgrounds,
classrooms and libraries.

What is the difference between the living area and the total area of the apartment:

The residential area is only part of the total area, i.e. it is always smaller. Moreover, the difference can be significant, often up to 50%.
A kitchen, bathroom, toilet, corridors, and storage rooms are not added to the living space.
The area of residential premises is important in determining the living conditions of citizens and affects the receipt of social benefits and the adoption of a child. The cost of housing, the amount of utility bills and property taxes depend on the OP.

The living area can be expanded due to the common area, i.e. due to auxiliary premises, such as a loggia, balcony, pantry. But in this case, the redevelopment will have to be officially legalized, otherwise it will not be possible to enter new data into the Unified State Register of Real Estate, and the additional residential squares will simply be invalid.

Features of calculating the footage of an apartment in a new building

Ignorance of the subtleties of the terminology used often leads to conflicts. Thus, when drawing up an equity participation agreement, in the “description of the apartment” section, information from the project documentation is used. In the document, the developer can indicate both residential and total footage of the premises as the basis for calculating the cost. In the second case, the price per square meter will be lower, but the total amount will either remain the same or be higher.

This is a marketing ploy, and when concluding an agreement you need to study it with special care. The difference in the cost of housing when calculated based on residential or total footage can be significant. At the same time, claims can be made only if the actual dimensions of the premises turn out to be less than those specified in the contract. You should carefully read the contract, and if necessary, contact specialists, because an experienced realtor will always help you understand the situation.

How not to overpay when buying a home

Analyze the situation first.

Before concluding a purchase and sale agreement, ask the seller whether the extensions are included in the total size of the apartment and on what basis. Often, an unscrupulous seller will evade a direct answer. The standard excuse is that it is impossible to make 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 facility, but this is not the case.

Study the conclusions of the BTI.

After building the house, 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. Specialists from the local BTI help with calculations and record them in documents with summary tables of data. The data is divided by category, including unheated premises. Then BTI employees issue certificates for individual apartments with the obligatory application of a reduction factor.

Talk to the developer again.

After examination, measurements and obtaining a certificate, the developer can name the exact selling price of each apartment. If he refuses to take into account the reduction factor in the calculations, seek support from the judicial authorities. 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 incorrect data that does not correspond to 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 buildings from the square footage and increased the price per square meter, you will not be able to attract him in court This is legal and all that remains is to make an informed decision about purchasing housing from one or another developer.

How is the total area taken into account when drawing up a registration certificate for an apartment?

When creating technical documentation, instructions are used that stipulate a list of premises related to the total area. It includes: bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, children's bathrooms, corridors, etc. When calculating the area of an apartment, reducing factors are used, expressed in coefficients:

Loggias -0.5
Balconies of any design
Storerooms without heating

Contents of the comment

Preamble of the Law Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1. Basic concepts Article 2. General provisions Article 3. Rights of residents of the city of Moscow registered as those in need of residential premises Article 4. Rights of residents of the city of Moscow registered as those in need of improvement Living conditions Article 4.1. Rights of residents of the city of Moscow recognized as needing assistance from the city of Moscow in acquiring residential premises within the framework of city housing programs Article 5. Competence and powers of the executive authorities of the city of Moscow to ensure the right of residents of the city of Moscow to residential premises Article 5.1. The powers of the Russian Federation in the field of providing residential premises for certain categories of citizens, transferred for implementation to public authorities of the city of Moscow Article 6. Commission on Housing Issues of the Government of Moscow Chapter 2. RECOGNITION OF RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF MOSCOW IN NEED OF RESIDENTIAL PREMISES PROVIDED UNDER CONTRACTS OF SOCIAL LEASE OR FREE USE Article 7. Conditions for recognizing residents of the city of Moscow as needing residential premises Article 8. Grounds for recognizing residents of the city of Moscow as needing residential premises Article 9. Accounting standard for the area of residential premises Article 10. Consequences of actions that led to the deterioration of living conditions Article 11. The procedure for recognizing city residents Moscow in need of residential premises Article 12. Refusal to recognize the applicant as needing residential premises and registration as those in need of residential premises Chapter 3. KEEPING REGISTRATION OF CITIZENS FOR THE PURPOSES OF IMPLEMENTING CITY HOUSING PROGRAMS Article 12.1. Registration of citizens for the purpose of implementing city housing programs Article 13. Housing registration Article 14. Reservation of the right of residents of the city of Moscow to be on housing registration Article 15. Removal of residents of the city of Moscow from housing registration Article 16. The procedure for maintaining housing records and re-registration of residents of the city of Moscow, adopted for housing registration Chapter 4. ENSURING BY THE CITY OF MOSCOW THE RIGHTS OF MOSCOW RESIDENTS TO RESIDENTIAL PREMISES Article 17. The priority of providing Moscow residents with residential premises from the housing stock of the city of Moscow Article 18. Categories of residents of the city of Moscow provided with residential premises at the expense of the city of Moscow Article 19. Categories of citizens provided with residential premises at the expense of the federal budget Article 20. The size of the area of residential premises provided from the housing stock of the city of Moscow Article 21. Making a decision on the provision for use or acquisition of ownership of residential premises with the help of the city by residents of the city of Moscow Article 22. Procedure provision for use or acquisition of ownership of residential premises with the help of the city by residents of the city of Moscow Article 23. General provisions for the provision of residential premises under a social tenancy agreement Article 24. The procedure for the provision of residential premises under a social tenancy agreement Article 25. General provisions for the provision of residential premises under an agreement free use Article 26. Residents of the city of Moscow, to whom residential premises are provided under a contract for free use Article 27. Procedure for the provision of residential premises under a contract for free use Article 28. Residents of the city of Moscow, to whom residential premises are provided under a lease agreement Article 29. General provisions for the provision of residential premises premises under a lease agreement Article 30. Procedure for the provision of residential premises under a lease agreement Article 31. Acquisition of residential premises using subsidies Article 32. Procedure for using subsidies for the acquisition or construction of residential premises Article 33. Acquisition of residential premises under a purchase and sale agreement with installment payment Article 34. Conditions for the acquisition of residential premises under a purchase and sale agreement with installment payment Article 35. Acquisition of residential premises under a purchase and sale agreement, including with the use of borrowed (credit) funds Article 36. Conditions for the acquisition of residential premises under a purchase and sale agreement, in including with the use of borrowed (credit) funds Article 37. General provisions for the provision of vacant rooms in communal apartments Article 38. The procedure for providing a vacant room in a communal apartment Article 39. The right of residents of the city of Moscow to replace residential premises with smaller residential premises Article 40. The right of residents of the city of Moscow to replace residential premises for health reasons Article 41. Conclusion of an agreement on the provision of residential premises Chapter 5. FINAL PROVISIONS Article 42. Entry into force of this Law

Author of the comment: Lawyer Polina Kobzeva

What is the housing accounting rate?

When receiving government assistance to improve housing conditions, the accounting norm of housing per family member is taken into account. And here the question arises: what area will be taken into account for the calculation?

According to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, Article 50, the accounting norm of living space per person is taken as the basis for calculation. The size of this accounting unit is determined at the regional level. So, for example, in federal cities, it will be greater than in small regions.