Calculation of Staircase Floor Area

Hello dear experts,

I am currently in the process of determining the living area measurement in a DG gallery apartment. Various details can be found, but I really cannot find out which applies in this case. In some sources, it says that from three risers onwards, the area of the stairs generally does not count towards the living area. However, there is also the note that only the area below two meters in height does not count towards the living area or, as with roof slope calculation, the area between 1m and 2m is counted at 50 percent.

I was also told that if the stairs underneath are not built as masonry, but more like a "ladder," the space can be used and in this case is counted as living area.

That is how it is in the apartment in question. This is a space-saving wooden staircase; underneath it stands a dresser, and the space is actually usable.

Does anyone know definitively how the area under such a staircase is calculated with regard to living area?

Many thanks and best regards

Building codes and regulations are country-specific. You are probably always browsing different country sites when googling, hence the confusion. Roof slopes and stairs are, as far as I know, considered separately.

Hello ypg and thank you very much.
I actually did not research based on countries, I have now caught up on that.
The page of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects refers to the federal Wohnfläche regulation regarding the calculation of living space, so it apparently is a nationwide regulation.

On the topic of stairs, I only find "The area of stairs with more than three risers is not to be included".

Unfortunately, I could no longer find the other notes that distinguish according to the clear height under the stairs.
Therefore, I am not 100 percent sure whether stair areas generally do not count towards living space, or whether stairs that leave free space underneath (i.e., not solidly built without "air" underneath) are viewed differently.

Do you want to buy or sell an apartment, rent or lease?

My opinion:

When selling, the exact square meters are practically irrelevant, as the market value determines the price.

Are we dealing with a space-saving staircase (50cm/60cm width?) with a steep incline in the rental situation?

Full credit for the square meters, whether tenant or landlord
People only write about approx. Xy sqm anyway... and haggling over this half sqm, which comes up in a calculation... sometimes you shouldn’t do business with nitpickers [emoji12]

Regards, Yvonne

Sell the apartment, after that it should go out of the city, maybe a smaller bungalow etc.

My thought was whether there could possibly be difficulties afterwards due to measurement inaccuracies ...

As seen, so bought. You base the sales price on market conditions per sqm plus an individual surcharge for negotiation anyway. Don't worry. In the brokerage contract, you can make approximate statements.