UDS in real estate 2025: Undivided Share of land meaning, calculation, use in flats

Undivided share is a part of the land held by the buyer of an apartment in a residential complex on which the entire structure is constructed

When buying an apartment, there are certain terminologies, which home buyers may be completely unaware of. One such term is the undivided share (UDS) of land. The UDS has a major role to play when buying a home in a residential complex or a large project.

What is UDS in real estate?

The cost of an apartment usually has two major components – cost of the structure and cost of the land. Undivided share is a part of land held by the buyer of the apartment in a residential complex on a plot on which the entire structure is constructed. Each and every flat built on that particular plot will have a share in the land but will not have any defined boundaries.

Home buyers should know that the price appreciation is actually the increase in land value only, as the constructed structure loses its value with time due to depreciation. This is the reason why experts say that the amount of land you own would matter in future. An informed buyer should always inquire about the UDS he gets with the flat. Home buyers should also know that for the same reason, car parking is very valuable. If the builder is offering you a dedicated car park, the car park land is added to your total UDS. However, for this, the buyer has to ensure that the developer documents the car park in the owner’s name.

After several years, when the building undergoes redevelopment or the government acquires it and brings it down, the property owners will get compensation on the basis of their undivided share of land (UDS), which they have on their name.

Why is UDS important?

UDS is used to calculate the base price of a property.

BSP= undivided share (UDS) of land + cost of construction and materials

UDS in real estate 2025: What are the ownership rights in multi-tenancy buildings?

UDS is important to mention the ownership rights within  multi-tenancy buildings like apartments and flats. With the help of UDS, common land in appropriate ratio is divided among all owners. This helps the owner take decisions on the project that will be beneficial in future like renovation, redevelopment etc.

What is ‘Undivided Share’ (UDS)?

See also: How to calculate land value?

UDS in real estate: Documents related

  • Sale deed: The correct UDS of the housing unit is mentioned here that help an owner get legal right for making future decisions.
  • Building bye-laws and society rules: The Bye-laws actually mention the rights and responsibilities of owners of flats with respect to the common land and how they can manage it.
  • Society minutes: These records will mention about decisions that have been made under the influence of UDS in real estate.

UDS in real estate: What are the ownership rights in multi-tenancy buildings?

UDS is important to mention the ownership rights within  multi-tenancy buildings like apartments and flats. With the help of UDS, common land in appropriate ratio is divided among all owners. This helps the owner take decisions on the project that will be beneficial in future.

What is significance of UDS for home owners?

Mentioned are the significance of UDS in real estate for home owners

Ownership of common areas in a housing society

 As per the UDS, one gets to know his ownership rights over common areas in a property such as corridors, staircases, elevators, gardens and parking spaces within a property development. An owner has a share in this common property that is proportional to the area of the housing unit he owns.

Transfer of property

When a person buys a property, the seller transfers the UDS land along with the housing unit in the buyer’s name.

Maintenance of society

Based on the UDS, the maintenance fee of the society is fixed. This money is used in the upkeep of the society including the common areas that belong to all the members. UDS outlines the rights and responsibilities within a residential complex in India and enables a owner to vote in the housing complex. In case a resident has a higher UDS, he has more say on the decisions such as maintenance of the society. In case there is a conflict on the usage of the UDS land by the members, the decision taken by the society will be final.

Overall property value

The UDS is a very important part of the overall value of the property. Based on the common areas and the facilities present in a complex, the property price of it appreciates multi-folds. For instance, a gated community and a standalone building will have different property costs even if they are opposite to each other with the UDS playing a crucial role.

Mention in real estate documents

Note that the UDS land has to be categorically specified in the legal documents such as sale agreement, conveyance deed, property registration documents etc. so that there is absolute clarity on ownership of the property. This is an important parameter that even home loan providers assess before granting home loan.

Redevelopment 

When a property goes for redevelopment, the area and value of property that one will get will depend on the UDS.

UDS in real estate: Steps to follow for calculation

UDS can be calculated by following a simple formula:

Multiply the total land area with the size of the individual apartment and divide the result by the total area of all apartments in the project.

Individual apartment super built-up area / Sum of all apartment’s super built-up area x Total land area

In case the ratio of land to flat does not match there may be discrepancies leading to problems especially during redevelopment as the benefits attached to redevelopment depends on land ownership patterns.

Also read: What is Carpet Area, Built-Up Area and Super Built-Up Area?

UDS in real estate: Calculation

Suppose you have invested in a 2BHK flat, built on a land of 1,000 sq ft sqft which has five units, each measuring the same. In this case, each owner will have 200 sqft as UDS.

However, if your complex has different kinds of units, your UDS will be proportional to the size of your apartment. Here is the illustration:

Suppose you have a 3BHK flat in a complex that has a total of 200 flats, out of which, 100 are 1BHKs, 50 are 2BHKs and 50 are 3BHKs. The total land area is 40,000 sqft.

The constructed area of a 1BHK flat is 500 sqft, 2BHK is 1,000 sqft, and 3BHK is 1500 sqft.

Therefore, the total land area of the society would be:

(100×500) + (50×1000) + (50×1500) = 1,75,000 sqft.

So, your undivided share of land (for a 3BHK) in the complex would be:

1,500/175,000 x 40,000 = 340 sqft

For a person who owns a 2BHK in the complex, the UDS would be:

1,000/175,000 x 40,000 = 228 sqft

For a person who owns a 1BHK in the complex, the UDS would be:

500/175,000 x 40,000 = 114 sqft

Things you should know about UDS

  • Your agreement for sale should mention the UDS. You can ask the builder, if it is not mentioned.
  • If the UDS promised and mentioned in the agreement are different, clarify the same, before registering the document.
  • For home loan applicants, banks will check the UDS while approving your loan. If you are buying a resale property, they will check for the share certificate from your housing society.
  • During the property registration, as well, the sub-registrar would check the share certificate.
  • Usually in co-operative housing societies, each member has an equal UDS, irrespective of the size of their unit.
  • In case of a designated parking spot, the UDS  is UDS calculated plus car park land in sqft. Thus, it is important that the parking lot should be registered in your name in the property documents.
  • In case of a natural disaster, an apartment owner will paid for the losses on the basis of the undivided shares certificate. Also, in case of any land acquisition, UDS is an important document based on which government pays the land owners.

UDS according to RERA guidelines

The RERA has some guidelines set with respect to the UDS. They are:

  • Disclosure of land: According to RERA, it is mandatory for a builder to mention the UDS that is linked to the project unit that a buyer invests in. This should be part of the sale deed that will be registered in the legal book of records.
  • Accurate calculation: The UDS mentioned in the sale deed should be accurate based on the total land area and the corresponding units in the project as this will be registered under the government records.
  • Helps in transparency:  Since everything will be mentioned buyers can’t be cheated on the basis of more UDS.

Housing.com POV

The UDS land is important especially for housing societies with tall buildings. While the society owns the UDS, the owners in the property are stake holders of the society members. With the help of UDS land, one can evaluate the ownership rights, the responsibilities he carried and make decisions regarding the common areas and facilities in a housing complex.

FAQs

How is UDS calculated?

Multiply the total land area with the size of the individual apartment and divide the result by the total area of all apartments in the project.

What is UDS property?

UDS is the ratio of the size of one apartment to the total built-up area of all the apartments.

Who owns land in apartment?

The apartment owners collectively own the land on which the apartment building stands. In a cooperative housing society, the land is owned by the society and the flat owners are shareholders of the society.

 

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