Foreigners in Bulgaria are often surprised when faced with the local system for calculating the area of apartments: the real dimensions do not correspond to those indicated in the documents. Let's figure out why this happens.

The main concepts that are used in Bulgarian documentation are "built-up" and "common" area.

The built-up area is indicated in the official documentation of the apartment or other property. It is often also called "living space", but the interpretation of this concept differs from the Russian one. For example, in Bulgaria, the built-up area includes the internal dimensions of the apartment along with the walls. The thickness of the internal partitions is divided into two equal parts and distributed between the neighboring apartments. As for the external walls that separate the apartment from the street, they are fully included in the built-up area, no matter how thick they are. The same applies to terraces and balconies. If their area for some reason is not included in the living space, then this is indicated in the notarial deed.

The total area is the residential (built-up) area of a particular object plus the share of the so-called "common parts", that is, common areas. These can be stairs, entrances, attics, basements, halls and other rooms that can be used by all residents of the house. The size of the share depends on the square footage of the apartment. The larger the apartment, the more total area is attached to it.

Less often in the documentation you can find such concepts as "clean", "useful", "used" area or "net area". This indicates the real area of the premises, limited by the walls, but not including their thickness.

Main Differences

In Bulgaria, terms that are familiar at first glance often have a completely different meaning than in Russia.

To calculate the living area in the Russian Federation, you just need to add up the areas of all residential premises. Residential (built-up) area in Bulgaria is calculated according to internal dimensions, including balconies, terraces, external and partially internal walls.

In Russia, the area of an apartment is the sum of the areas of residential and non-residential premises. In Bulgaria, the calculation of residential, i.e. built-up area, includes bathrooms, corridors and other non-residential premises.

In Russia, the total area of an apartment is the sum of the areas of all rooms, balconies/loggias, as well as storage rooms, built-in wardrobes. In Bulgaria, the total area includes both the area of a particular apartment and the share of common areas in the building where this apartment is located.