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If you are thinking of buying a home, you may be wondering about the differences between the usable area and the constructed area. This way you can get a realistic approximation of the price and size of your home and know.
If you don't want to be confused, keep reading!
Contenido
- 1 Usable area
- 2 Constructed area
- 3 What is the difference between the usable and constructed area?
- 4 Definition of the usable area of a real estate property
- 5 Definition of the constructed area without common parts
- 6 What area is specified in the cadastre?
- 7 Advantages and disadvantages of the usable area being larger than the constructed area
Usable area
It is the one that measures the house without taking into account the walls and pillars and other non-essential elements.
Constructed area
On the other hand, the constructed area includes all the square meters of the perimeter of the house, both inside and outside it. We are talking about structural elements, such as pillars, facades and interior partitions.
This difference is especially noticeable when you have to do the paperwork to buy the house. The notary and the City Council will require you to know what the constructed area is and will charge you based on it. However, to give you an idea of the actual size of the property, you will want to know the usable area, as this is what you can ultimately take advantage of.
What is the difference between the usable and constructed area?
We are going to explain it for neophytes: the difference lies in the fact that the usable area is the usable square meters (that can be stepped on), and the constructed area is all the meters, including the exterior walls.
So that you understand, the walls that make up the kitchen are counted as constructed area, but you will not be able to enjoy it. Therefore, if you are thinking of buying an apartment, you will see in the real estate portals that many advertisements try to deceive with the constructed meters.
The second big difference is that the usable area is useful to know how many m2 of the house are habitable, while the constructed area has effects at the administrative level.
Image: difference between usable area and constructed area
| Criterion | Usable Area | Constructed Area |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Space available for habitable use, excluding walls, columns and stairs. | Includes the usable area plus the thickness of the exterior walls and non-habitable spaces. |
| Components | Only habitable and use areas. | Habitable areas, walls, columns, stairs and other structural elements. |
| Measurement | Measured from the inside of the exterior walls without including the thickness of the same. | Measured including everything, from the outside of the exterior walls. |
Definition of the usable area of a real estate property
According to Order ECO/805/2003 in its article 4, the constructed area without common parts, is the usable area, without excluding the area occupied by the interior elements mentioned in said definition and including the exterior enclosures at 100% or 50%, depending on whether they are, respectively, facade or party wall enclosures, or enclosures shared with other elements of the same building.
Definition of the constructed area without common parts
It is the usable area, without excluding the area occupied by the interior elements mentioned in said definition and including the exterior enclosures at 100% or 50%, depending on whether they are, respectively, facade or party wall enclosures, or enclosures shared with other elements of the same building.
What area is specified in the cadastre?
Article 6 of the Consolidated Text of the Real Estate Cadastre Law (TRLCI) defines what a cadastral real estate property is:
For exclusive cadastral purposes, the plot or portion of land of the same nature, located in a municipal district and closed by a polygonal line that delimits, for such purposes, the spatial scope of the right of ownership of an owner or several pro indiviso and, where appropriate, the constructions located in said scope, whatever their owner, and regardless of other rights that fall on the property, is considered real estate.
Related article: How to obtain the cadastral reference of a home
Advantages and disadvantages of the usable area being larger than the constructed area
Normally there are usually doubts in what differentiates the usable area and the constructed area, since they can create confusion if you are not knowledgeable in the subject. Obviously the usable and constructed area are different, but when thinking about a project, they usually think about the different spaces, rooms... in usable area, but however afterwards, the constructed area is the sum of those usable areas.
It is necessary to know very well what each of these areas is, since they will have to appear fully defined in the deed, in the license request to the City Council, and it will serve to make the budgets of what the house will cost us.
The constructed area is everything, that is, if you take your project or house already built, this area will be the area that is delimited by the perimeter line that surrounds the facade by the exterior of the building. That is to say, it includes all the constructive and structural parts of the building, and in it are included the pillars, the facades, the interior partitions, etc. In the same way, in collective buildings it will be necessary to add, in addition, the proportional part of the common elements of the building, such as stairs, corridors and entrance hall.
