Guidelines for Housing Area Measurement Using Laser Rangefinders
When purchasing a property, sales staff will inform buyers of the housing area. After applying for the property ownership certificate, another housing area will be stated on the document. How are these areas measured?
It is understood that the surveying of commercial housing areas is conducted in two stages. First, surveyors calculate the projected housing area based on construction drawings and relevant documents. After the building is completed, on‑site actual area measurement is carried out. During this stage, surveyors conduct indoor inspections and adopt advanced tools such as laser rangefinders to measure the length, width and height of each room. With these data, they calculate the indoor unit area and measure the shared areas of public facilities including stairwells and elevator shafts.
According to professional analysis, many residents confuse the indoor unit area with the usable area, while there are clear differences between the two. "The indoor unit area is larger than the usable area, for it includes half the thickness of shared partition walls. Half the area of joint walls shared with neighboring households is counted into the indoor unit area."
After moving in, some residents use tape measures to measure room dimensions on their own, then compare the results with the data shown on the property certificate. Relevant personnel explain that manual measurement with tape measures is prone to errors caused by improper operation and inconsistent tension. Moreover, such measurements only reflect the usable area, rather than the official indoor unit area.
What should residents do if they disagree with the official survey results? Surveyors point out that residents may first apply for re‑survey. Laser rangefinders can ensure highly accurate measurement of all housing areas. If doubts remain, an administrative reconsideration application can be submitted.
