Built-up area, gross area and undivided shares:
how much you will live in
The advertised floor area is usually the sum of the individual unit and the undivided shares. Two listings with the same number can describe homes with different living areas.
The cadastre does not measure. It copies.
Under Article 4(5) of Ordinance No. RD-02-20-5 of 2016 (Наредба № РД-02-20-5), the area of the individual unit (самостоятелен обект) is taken from the title deed, failing that from the investment design, and only if neither exists is it calculated after measurement on site.
So as a rule the cadastral diagram (кадастрална схема) reproduces the number from the notarial deed (нотариален акт). It is not the independent check of the floor area that the buyer takes it to be.
⚠️ A note for anyone searching: an ordinance “RD-02-20-2 on measurement” does not exist. There are four different ordinances in force with this number, and none of them is about areas. The applicable ones are RD-02-20-5 of 2016 and Ordinance No. 7 of 2003.
Built-up and gross area
are in the law.
Built-up area (застроена площ, ЗП) and gross built-up area (разгъната застроена площ, РЗП) are defined in § 5 of the Additional Provisions of the Spatial Planning Act (ЗУТ). Undivided shares (идеални части) are in Article 38 of the Ownership Act (Закон за собствеността).
But “net area” (чиста площ), “usable area” (полезна площ) and “clear area” (светла площ) have no legal definition in the Spatial Planning Act, the Ownership Act or the Cadastre and Property Register Act (ЗКИР). These are market terms, and every developer fills them with their own meaning.
That is why the same number in two listings can mean different things without anyone having lied.
There is no single number, and that is the problem
In new construction you find 15 to 20% of the area in the notarial deed, in other buildings 12 to 15%, and in panel construction the area in the deed is close to the area actually lived in.
The exact percentage for a specific property comes from the area allocation table (таблица за площообразуване) in the investment design, and that is not a public document.
This leads to a systematic distortion: price per square metre from listings understates new construction relative to panel blocks, because the denominator is more inflated. How to compare the two is a separate conversation: panel block or new construction.
Two numbers
that do not measure the same thing.
A one-bedroom apartment (двустаен) in Vladislavovo is €1,576/sq m across 106 listings. The same type in Briz is €2,469/sq m across 181 listings. Our data from alo.bg, 4 September 2026.
The difference looks like 57%. If you assume the common parts weigh about 15% in one case and 5% in the other (an assumption, not a measured value), the adjusted difference becomes larger, not smaller.
How the neighbourhoods compare with each other: Varna by neighbourhood.
Two points that cost money
The first: ask for the area on the diagram and the undivided shares separately, not the sum. The second number turns price per square metre into a comparable figure.
The second: “differences of up to 10% are acceptable” is the opposite of the law. Article 210 of the Obligations and Contracts Act (ЗЗД) sets one tenth as the threshold beyond which a right to withdraw or terminate arises, and below it, where the price is per unit of measure, the price is adjusted accordingly. The time limit is one year from handover (Article 211 of the Obligations and Contracts Act).
In new construction, the area allocation is locked in when the building is put into service: Act 14, 15 and 16.
Frequently asked questions
Does the advertised floor area include the common parts?
In most cases yes, but the listing is not obliged to say so. The advertised area is usually the sum of the area of the individual unit and the undivided shares in the common parts of the building. That is why two listings with the same number can describe homes with different living areas.
Does the cadastral diagram measure the area of the apartment?
No. Under Article 4(5) of Ordinance No. RD-02-20-5 of 2016, the area of the individual unit is taken from the title deed, failing that from the investment design, and only if neither exists is it calculated after measurement on site. As a rule the diagram reproduces the number from the notarial deed and is not an independent check of the floor area.
How large are the common parts as a percentage?
There is no single number. In new construction you find 15 to 20% of the area in the notarial deed, in other buildings 12 to 15%, and one documented case shows 13.3%. In panel construction the area in the deed is close to the area actually lived in. The exact percentage for a specific property comes from the area allocation table in the investment design, which is not a public document.
Do “7% undivided shares” mean 7 sq m?
No. The percentage is a share of the common parts of the whole building, and under Article 40(1) of the Ownership Act the shares are proportionate to the ratio between the values of the units, not their areas. To turn the percentage into square metres you need the total area of the building’s common parts, a number that is not in the cadastral diagram.
What is “net area” according to the law?
There is no such definition. “Net area”, “usable area” and “clear area” are not defined in the Spatial Planning Act, the Ownership Act or the Cadastre and Property Register Act. These are market terms and every developer fills them with their own meaning, which is why the same number in two listings can mean different things.
Two numbers, not one
Ask what the area on the diagram is and how large the undivided shares are. Separately. The sum is what everyone compares; separately, you see what you will actually live in.
Send us both together with the price. We send back the real price per square metre of living space and how it ranks within the neighbourhood.
This material is not legal or tax advice. A specific case should be checked by a specialist.
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