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Avg apartment loading grows in top cities amid demand for amenities: Report
Amid rising demand for state-of-the-art amenities in housing projects, the 'loading' factor rose to 40 per cent in Q1 CY25 from 31 per cent in 2019 across major Indian cities, according to research by Anarock.
In residential apartments, the average loading factor refers to the difference between the super built-up area and the carpet area. This implies that homebuyers are now paying 40 per cent of the total purchase cost for common areas such as elevators, lobbies, clubhouses, staircases, terraces, gyms and other amenities in Q1 CY25, compared to 31 per cent in 2019.
Dr Prashant Thakur, regional director and head – research and advisory, Anarock Group, said: 'While RERA now requires developers to mention the total carpet area provided to homebuyers, no law currently limits the loading factor in projects. Q1 CY25 readings show that 60 per cent of the total space homebuyers in the top seven cities pay for is now liveable space, and the remaining 40 per cent is common areas — elevators, lobbies, staircases, clubhouses, amenities, terraces and so on. The average loading percentage was 31 per cent back in 2019.'
Bengaluru sees sharpest jump
Among the top seven cities, Bengaluru saw the highest percentage increase in average loading, from 30 per cent in 2019 to 41 per cent in Q1 CY25. This trend aligns with a rise in high-end lifestyle demands in the IT hub, prompting developers to offer a wider range of modern amenities, the report noted.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) continued to record the highest loading among the top cities, rising to 43 per cent in Q1 CY25 from 33 per cent in 2019.
Chennai, on the other hand, witnessed the lowest average loading factor, which stood at 36 per cent in Q1 CY25, up from 30 per cent in 2019. This reflects a city-specific trend where homebuyers prioritise usable space within their homes over expansive shared amenities.
Changing norms in urban housing
'In the past, a loading of 30 per cent or less was considered typical. Today, higher amenity loading has become the norm across most projects, partly because homebuyers are no longer satisfied with basic lifestyle amenities — they expect fitness centres, clubhouses, landscaped gardens and grand lobbies. Collectively, these features may improve comfort, community liveability and also resale value; however, homebuyers effectively lose actual usable space within their apartments,' Thakur added.
Essential infrastructure in modern housing projects now typically includes additional lifts with higher passenger capacity, larger utility areas and fire escapes that comply with safety regulations. In high-density urban developments, balancing private and shared space has become crucial for long-term value and better living experiences, making some level of higher loading an inescapable part of modern housing.
'In most cases, buyers across cities — except in Maharashtra — are unaware of how much they pay for the actual usable space within their apartment. Respective state RERAs should ideally enforce provisions requiring each project to clearly state how much buyers are paying for the usable apartment space and how much for shared amenities,' Thakur said.
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