A schematic · not any project’s plan
On any floor plan,
read three lines first.
The dimension lines give the overall width and depth, the wall lines show where each room begins, and the door swings show where furniture cannot go. The schematic here only demonstrates how to read a plan; it is not any project’s layout.
The short answer
In a layout listing, “3R2B” usually means three rooms and two bathrooms, and a room is not necessarily a bedroom. The standard strata SPA states the unit’s area and its share units in square metres; it does not define “built-up area”. If the area in the strata title is more than 2% smaller than in the approved building plan, the price comes down for the shortfall beyond 2%, at the per-square-metre rate stated in the SPA. A brochure plan is a schematic: what binds is the approved plans attached to the SPA and the building specifications in its Fourth Schedule. “Partly furnished” is not a legal term either.
- Area in the SPA
- The unit’s area, in square metres
- If the area falls short
- 2%beyond this, the price comes down
- Conversion
- 1 sq ft = 0.09290304 m²
Compiled by Kevin LeeUpdated
The R in “3R2B” is not a bedroom
Developers’ layout sheets often say “3R2B” or “4R2B”: R is a room and B a bathroom. A room can serve as a bedroom, a study or a store room; where the material does not say which room is a bedroom, do not add it for them.
Kuala Lumpur’s building by-laws, the Building (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-laws 1985, set their own rules for habitable rooms; DBKL’s Building Control Department enforces them.
Sources: DBKL: Building Control Department
How is the area stated, and what if it comes up short?
The standard strata SPA states in its preamble the unit’s area in square metres (as in the building plan) and its share units; “built-up area” is not a term the agreement uses. Where a developer’s marketing material quotes a separate area for a garden or a terrace, ask exactly what it covers and how it is priced.
Once the title is issued, if its area is smaller than the building plan’s, a shortfall of up to 2% brings no adjustment; beyond 2%, the price comes down at the per-square-metre rate stated in the SPA, and the developer must refund the difference within 30 days of the title’s issue. A larger area never raises the price.
Sources: P.U.(A) 106/2015: amendment to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989 (housing ministry copy) (2015-07-01)
Dimension lines, wall lines and the furniture drawn in
- Dimension lines: the lines drawn outside the plan with a short tick at each end; the figure beside one is the overall width or depth (usually in millimetres).
- Outer wall face: most marketing plans do not say which face of the wall an overall dimension is measured to. Scale the printed width against the outer face of the external wall, and what you read off is only approximate.
- Door swings: the arc a door sweeps as it opens; keep it clear of furniture.
- Furniture drawn in: the beds, sofas, tables and chairs on a plan only suggest a layout. They are not included, and they do not prove that your own furniture will fit.
A marketing plan is a schematicBrochure plans are often printed at different scales, and may be simplified. Treat any dimension you read off as a guide only; the approved plans attached to the SPA prevail.
Which plans come with the SPA?
The standard strata SPA attaches copies of the approved plans, with their approval references and the approving authorities: the site plan, the layout plan, the floor plan of the unit, the storey plan (or delineation plan), the accessory parcel plan (for a car park bay, for example) and the common facilities plan.
Under the National Housing Department’s 2025 guideline, the brochure, which must also exist in Malay, must include a typical floor plan that shows each space’s dimensions and specifications clearly.
Sources: P.U.(A) 106/2015: amendment to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989 (housing ministry copy) (2015-07-01); National Housing Department: guideline on advertising and sales permit applications (2025-02-20)
Specifications and finishes: the Fourth Schedule decides
The SPA’s Fourth Schedule sets out the building specifications: structure, walls, roof, ceiling, windows, doors, ironmongery, wall finishes, floor finishes, sanitary and plumbing fittings, electrical installation, and internal telecommunication trunking and cabling. Unless an authority requires it, the developer may not depart from the approved plans without the buyer’s written consent; if it uses cheaper materials or leaves out works, the buyer is entitled to a price reduction or damages.
“Partly furnished” and “fully furnished” are not legal terms. What the developer must deliver is what the Fourth Schedule lists, plus anything both sides agree separately and set out in an attached inventory.
Sources: P.U.(A) 106/2015: amendment to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989 (housing ministry copy) (2015-07-01)
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A floor plan you can’t make out?
Bring the plan and go through the dimension lines, walls and doors with Kevin; the approved plans attached to the SPA still have the final word.
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KEVIN LEE李明伟
13 years in real estateSenior Property AdvisorREN 14973
Affiliated agency: FLP REALTY SDN. BHD.
Ask me anything, directly. In English, Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese.
kevinlee.com.myMeet Kevin Lee and his teamName on REN tag LEE BENG WAI· REN 14973· FLP REALTY SDN. BHD. (estate agency reg. E (1) 1718; company no. 1193823-D; office tel. +603-7499 2575)· Mobile +6013-3398686