Read the label before comparing the number
Copy the exact area label from each source, including abbreviations and explanatory notes. Do not translate every large figure into 'usable space'. On CapitaLand's Lumi Elite page, the initially displayed selection showed NFA 42.2 m² and GFA 46.2 m² when inspected.
That is a source-reading example for one displayed selection, not a claim about all Lumi units. The government's apartment-contract template published on 27 August 2024 also separates usable and gross area fields. Read the definitions in the actual document offered to you.
Match the figure to a particular apartment
Record the tower, floor, unit code, layout version and document date beside the area. Ask whether the drawing is indicative, attached to a proposed contract or a measurement for the actual unit. Keep these categories distinct.
When a broker sends a replacement plan, do not simply swap the image. Compare the identifiers and note what changed. A matching bedroom count does not establish that two drawings describe the same apartment or the same area basis.
Use one denominator for a price comparison
Place total asking price, what it includes, area label and area value on separate lines. Divide only after the basis is clear. If one listing uses gross area and another uses a different basis, mark them as not yet comparable.
Use HAVO's price-reading guide for the price components, then return to this card for the denominator. Do not fill a missing figure by estimating from a brochure image. A precise-looking quotient cannot repair an unclear input.
Ask how an eventual measurement is handled
Before treating a displayed figure as final, ask which drawing and measurement method the contract refers to, when measurement occurs and how a difference is recorded. Request the relevant clause rather than relying on a verbal assurance.
Read any adjustment method, tolerance or response deadline in the actual document. This worksheet does not supply a universal threshold. If the wording changes the financial commitment or is unclear, obtain qualified advice before signing rather than guessing its effect.
Separate ownership, access and payment
A pool, lounge or garden shown alongside a plan raises different questions: who owns or controls it, who may use it, under what rules and with which separate payment? A photograph alone cannot answer those questions.
Complete an area-and-access card: unit/version ___; quoted area and label ___; contract definition ___; price denominator ___; measurement clause ___; facility ___; access evidence ___; separate charge source ___. Leave unsupported items unresolved and take the ordinary-family-day layout guide for the next, practical fit check.
Words worth knowing
- Denominator
- The area figure used to calculate a price per square metre; its definition must accompany the result.
- Access condition
- The documented rule for using a facility, distinct from whether it appears in a project image.
Take this to a viewing
- Write the original area label and definition.
- Match tower, unit code and plan version.
- Compare prices using the same stated denominator.
- Locate the measurement and adjustment wording.
- Request facility access rules and any separate charges.
Common questions
Is the larger area figure necessarily wrong?
No. It may describe a different basis. Ask what is measured and compare like with like instead of assuming one label means misrepresentation.
Can a developer layout replace a contractual measurement?
It is useful for questions, but its contractual role must be established for the exact unit. Keep indicative plans and actual measurement records separately labelled.
Sources
- Lumi Elite: official layout pageCapitaLand DevelopmentInspected 8 September 2026; any example concerns only the initially displayed selection. Original linked, no plan reproduced or contractual area verified.
- Apartment sale contract templateVietnam Government policy portalPublished 27 August 2024, presenting the Decree 96/2024 template. Used for document-field reading, not a complete amendment review or individual transaction advice.