Loggia and balcony: two outdoor spaces, one rule on area
A balcony (აივანი) is an open platform that projects from the facade, a loggia (ლოჯია) is an outdoor space recessed into the building and closed on three sides, and in Georgia both count in full towards a flat's registered area.
The rule comes from the internal measurement drawing Rules approved by Government Resolution No 315 of 3 October 2024, which took effect on 1 January 2025. Art. 2(7) of those Rules defines a unit's used area (გამოყენებული ფართობი) as the floor surface between its enclosing walls, leaving out walls and columns, and then adds one sentence: "ფართობში შედის ლოჯიის, აივნის, ტერასისა და ვერანდის ფართობები, მათი არსებობის შემთხვევაში", the area includes loggia, balcony, terrace and veranda areas where they exist. The text contains no reduction coefficient. Planning and design documents group the four spaces as "summer area" (საზაფხულო ფართი).
The difference between the two words is architectural, not legal: we found no Georgian statute or regulation that defines a loggia and a balcony separately. For anyone used to Russian new-build contracts, where each is counted at a fraction of its size, this is the key point: in Georgia the square metre outside the glass is registered exactly like the one inside.
100%, one third or nothing: how each rulebook counts a balcony
The same balcony can be counted at 100%, at one third or not at all, depending on who is measuring and why.
| Purpose | Rule | Share of balcony counted |
|---|---|---|
| Registered area of the unit | Res. 315 Rules Art. 2(7) | 100%, loggias, terraces and verandas too |
| Tbilisi K-2 (floor area for density) | Tbilisi rules Art. 12(3)(ე) | 1/3 for balconies, loggias and verandas; terraces 0 |
| Tbilisi K-1 (building footprint) | Tbilisi rules Art. 11(2)(ა) | In full, with terraces, stairs and bay windows |
| Building area for the permit class | Res. 255 Art. 5(2)(გ) | Excluded ("აივნის გარეშე") |
| Geostat household survey | Energy Consumption in Households, 2022 | Included: indoor and outdoor balconies, terraces, verandas |
| Russia, new-build contracts (not Georgian law) | Order No 854/pr of 25 November 2016 | Loggia 0.5, balcony 0.3, terrace 0.3, veranda 1.0 |
Only the first row decides what is registered in your name and what a quoted price per m² is normally multiplied by. The Tbilisi rows come from the original 2016 text, amended many times since; we could not confirm the current wording of Art. 11 and Art. 12.
The Russian row is shown for comparison only. Order No 854/pr, in force since 1 January 2017, serves shared-construction deals under Russia's Federal Law 214-FZ and has no effect on a Georgian sale.
Why Tbilisi counts the balcony at one third
The one-third figure is a planning tool. K-2 compares a building's total floor area with the area of its plot; our guide to construction permits explains the ratio. Tbilisi's land-use and development rules, Sakrebulo Resolution No 14-39 of 24 May 2016, decide what enters that floor area: verandas, balconies and loggias at 1/3 (Art. 12(3)(ე)) and terraces not at all (Art. 12(3)(დ)). The latest amendment, Sakrebulo Resolution No 12-35 of 18 May 2026, speaks of "სასარგებლო ფართი (საზაფხულო ფართის ჩათვლით)", useful area including summer area, when it sets a formula for transferring K-2 rights.
None of this reaches the buyer's invoice. An 8 m² balcony uses up about 2.67 m² of the plot's K-2 allowance, yet the flat's registered area still grows by the full 8 m², so the planning coefficient is never a discount on the price. We checked only Tbilisi and could not confirm how Batumi counts balconies for K-2.
Shared galleries, closed-in loggias and glazing
A gallery or long balcony serving several flats, such as a Soviet-era gallery, is common property of the owners under Art. 5(4) of the Law on Homeowners' Associations, and giving common areas to one owner needs unanimity for stairwells, lifts and roofs (Art. 6(5)). A lawyer should confirm how that applies to a gallery; the voting rules are in our guide to the homeowners' association.
Where a loggia has been closed in or built out, the paperwork, not the view, decides whether it is inside your registered area. Under Order No 487 Art. 16(11) and (12), a legalised extension (მიშენება) or added floor (დაშენება) is registered to the person named in the legalisation act, and an existing burden covers the whole legalised area only when the original right covers the whole unit. See our guide to unauthorised construction and legalised floors.
We could not confirm whether glazing a balcony today counts as exterior reconstruction needing a permit under Res. 255 Art. 4(3)(ბ), or whether the association must agree, so ask both before ordering frames. The energy rules, Government Resolution No 354, ask for thermal bridges at balconies to be minimised; what that means for damp is in our guide to humidity and mould in Batumi, and storm wear on glazing and drains in winter in Batumi.
Where the balcony appears on drawings, extracts and listings
The balcony is plain on the measurement drawing and hard to find anywhere else:
- Internal measurement drawing (შიდა აზომვითი ნახაზი): balconies and loggias are drawn as separate polygons and added to the unit's area at 100%.
- Public Registry extract: one area figure (Order 487 Art. 6(4)(დ)) with no balcony line, so it cannot tell you how much of the figure is outdoors.
- Design documents: the area breakdown under Res. 255 Art. 13(1) shows the project's balconies within a summer-area line.
- Developer price list: usually one figure per flat, sometimes internal and balcony area side by side. We found no developer pricing balconies at a reduced rate, but could not confirm that none does.
- ss.ge listings: "აივანი" (Balcony in the English interface) is a tick box with no area (listings 36888650 and 37043112, checked 28 October 2026). The "საერთო ფართი" (Total area) field usually includes the balcony, but the seller enters it unchecked.
How the drawing turns rooms and balconies into one number is explained under total area; the rest of the extract is read in our line-by-line extract guide.
Worked example: what an 8 m² balcony adds to the price
An illustrative case, with our arithmetic. A new Tbilisi flat measures 70.00 m² between its walls plus an 8.00 m² balcony, priced at USD 1,426 per m², the July 2026 Galt & Taggart average for new white-frame flats quoted in our guide to Soviet blocks and new buildings.
| Basis | Area | Price at USD 1,426 per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Registered area under Res. 315 (balcony at 100%) | 78.00 m² | USD 111,228 |
| Enclosed rooms only | 70.00 m² | USD 99,820 |
| Russian 214-FZ convention (balcony x 0.3), for comparison only | 72.40 m² | USD 103,242 |
| Tbilisi K-2 count of the balcony (1/3), planning only | 2.67 m² | not a price basis |
If the contract prices the registered 78 m², the balcony costs the buyer USD 11,408. Spread over the enclosed space, the buyer pays about USD 1,589 for each square metre with walls and a roof, not USD 1,426. When comparing flats, divide each price by the enclosed area too: a big balcony makes a flat look cheaper per m² than it is indoors.
A buyer expecting the Russian-style 72.4 m² sees a gap of USD 7,986, but it is no hidden charge: the balcony is part of what is registered and sold. Settle which area the contract multiplies, one of the protective clauses in our guide to the developer contract.
Easily confused: loggia, balcony, terrace and veranda
| Space | Usual shape | Registered area | Tbilisi K-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loggia (ლოჯია) | Recessed into the building, closed on three sides | 100% | 1/3 |
| Balcony (აივანი) | Projects from the facade | 100% | 1/3 |
| Terrace (ტერასა) | On a roof, a slab at ground level or a set-back storey | 100% | Not counted |
| Veranda (ვერანდა) | Roofed and often glazed | 100% | 1/3 |
The shapes are common usage; no Georgian text we found defines any of the four. A glazed loggia is also not a living room in law: glazing does not change its registered category, and any change would need a new measurement drawing. For the rooms-only figure of Soviet-origin usage, see the glossary entry on living area.
Loggia and balcony in five languages
| Language | Loggia and balcony | Related form |
|---|---|---|
| Georgian | ლოჯია და აივანი | საზაფხულო ფართი (summer area) |
| English | loggia and balcony | summer area |
| Russian | лоджия и балкон | летние помещения (summer area) |
| Hebrew | לוגיה ומרפסת | מרפסת שמש (open balcony, Israeli usage) |
| Arabic | اللوجيا والشرفة | بلكونة (balcony, everyday form) |
Georgian contracts and drawings use "ლოჯია" and "აივანი", the words Res. 315 itself uses, while design documents total both under "საზაფხულო ფართი".
Mistakes buyers make with balconies
- Expecting a coefficient. Georgian registration counts loggias and balconies at 100%; the 0.3 and 0.5 figures belong to Russian practice.
- Quoting the one-third rule to a seller. Tbilisi's 1/3 applies to a building's density limit, not to the price of a flat.
- Comparing price per m² across flats with very different balconies. Divide by the enclosed area as well.
- Trusting the listing tick box. On ss.ge "Balcony" has no size; get the measurement drawing.
- Assuming a closed-in loggia is registered. Check whether the drawing and the legalisation papers cover it.
- Treating a shared gallery as yours. In older blocks it may be common property of all owners.
To be added by the team: images to add: a measurement drawing, personal data blacked out, with its balcony polygon highlighted, a photo of a recessed loggia next to a projecting balcony on the same facade, and a screenshot of an ss.ge listing showing the Balcony tick and the Total area field. Mark the drawing "sample".
How to check the balcony area before you buy
Ask for the drawing
Request the internal measurement drawing, not only the extract.
Find the summer areas
Note each balcony, loggia and terrace polygon and its size.
Compare with the extract
The drawing total should match the registered area.
Work out two prices
Divide the price by registered and by enclosed area.
Fix the basis in the contract
State which area is priced and how it is measured.
Check closed-in spaces
For a glazed or extended loggia, ask for the legalisation papers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a balcony included in the registered area in Georgia?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025 Res. 315 adds loggias, balconies, terraces and verandas to the unit's area in full.
Is a loggia counted differently from a balcony?
No. Both count at 100%, and we found no Georgian legal definition separating them.
Do Georgian developers charge less per m² for balconies?
We found no developer that does, but practice varies, so check the price list and contract.
What is the one-third balcony rule in Tbilisi?
A planning rule: balconies, loggias and verandas count at 1/3 in the K-2 floor-area ratio.
Does the extract show the balcony separately?
No. It shows one area figure; the measurement drawing shows the balcony polygon.
Does a terrace count too?
Yes, in full for the registered area, but not at all in Tbilisi's K-2 count.
Can I glaze my balcony?
We could not confirm whether a permit or association consent is needed; ask both.
Who owns a shared gallery in an old building?
The owners in common, under Art. 5(4) of the Law on Homeowners' Associations.
Sources
- Rules for preparing internal measurement drawings, Government Resolution No 315 of 3 October 2024 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Tbilisi land-use and development rules, Sakrebulo Resolution No 14-39 of 24 May 2016, original text (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Amendment to the Tbilisi rules, Sakrebulo Resolution No 12-35 of 18 May 2026 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Rules on construction permits, Government Resolution No 255, original 2019 text (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Instruction on the Public Registry, Order No 487 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Energy performance rules for buildings, Government Resolution No 354 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Energy Consumption in Households, Geostat, 2022 (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Order No 854/pr of 25 November 2016, Ministry of Construction of Russia (accessed 28 October 2026)
- Listing 37043112, ss.ge (accessed 28 October 2026)
Change log
- - Glossary entry published from Government Resolutions No 315, No 255 and No 354, the Tbilisi land-use and development rules, Order No 487, Geostat and ss.ge.