Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation

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Housing Glossary

You will find information here on all topics relating to housing in Barcelona

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accrued interest

The interest applied as a penalisation when the debtor does not comply with repayment obligations. The amount must be established in the contract.

Active supermortgage

This allows the client to choose their loan's benchmark index (MIBOR at three months, six months or a year) so that payment can benefit from lower interest rates sooner.

Adaptable instalment

Characteristic of UCI superloans that allow the borrower to not pay one instalment a year for the first three years if there are problems due to holidays, extraordinary expenses, etc.

Advanced cancellation fee

A commission arising from the financial risk involved in the advanced cancellation of an operation. The applied commission compensates the financial institution for its financial losses.

AEDE

Direct state aid for paying the deposit on a property.

Affordable housing

Group of social housing or dwellings from social renovation projects that are sold or rented at below-market prices.

Affordable rent

The cost of renting these dwellings is below market prices after being included in operations concerning the rented flat pool, social renovation or social housing promotions.

Amortisation

Payment made to repay a loan.

Amortisation period

The duration of the loan. The contract establishes the date of the first and last payments. The longer the period, the lower the payments are, but the higher the interest. You therefore pay more in the end. The monthly instalment should not exceed 35% of your net income.

API

Estate agent. A qualified professional who acts as an intermediary between the two interested parties to facilitate the signing of a real estate contract, which can be a rental agreement, a sales agreement or another similar contract. They usually charge a percentage of the sales price as compensation or commission.

Applicant

A citizen who makes a registration application to the Barcelona Social Housing Applicants Registry, and who represents the other members of the dwelling unit included in the application.

APR

Annual Equivalent Rate. Effective annual cost of the mortgage in terms of interest, commissions and the repayment period. To compare loans, it is not enough to just look at the lowest APR, you also have to compare the conditions, the repayment period and the distribution of instalment payments.

Arbitri municipal de plusvàlua

Former denomination of the capital gains tax on landed property.

Assessment

The value of a dwelling certified by a specialised assessment company, in accordance with the mortgage market law. This certificate not only indicates the real value of the property, it also serves as a reference for obtaining the necessary financing.

Authorisation

Document in which the owner authorises the tenant to carry out building work in the dwelling's interior.

Housing offices only offer face-to-face assistance by prior appointment, so check out the “Housing calls you” service here to receive the most appropriate personalised assistance. If you also need assistance in energy rights, book an appointment with an energy-advice point (PAE) by clicking here. On the other hand, if you reside in an IMHAB public dwelling you can consult our contact, management and processing channels here.

The entity that manages housing in Barcelona

The city has a new entity for managing public and private housing from the Rental Housing Stock: Barcelona’s Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation (IMHAB). With the objectives of joining forces, streamlining resources and boosting its capacity, the City Council has re-organized within this entity the housing services of both Barcelona Urban Management L.C. and the Municipal Patronage of Housing, the latter a body founded in 1927 that has been dedicated to promoting and managing social housing.

Having access to decent housing is a basic right in a just society. At present market trends are denying part of the population access to decent and affordable housing. In this context it’s vital that public bodies enforce policies to defend their fundamental right.

The Municipal Government is working towards increasing the public housing stock to respond to the residential needs of the population. On one hand, reclaiming empty private properties and on the other promoting the building of new social rental housing. The City Council also wants to guarantee the quality of life of its citizens by boosting the improvement of the housing stock via implementing renovation and energy efficiency measures.

To carry out these policies, the IMHAB (Barcelona’s Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation) was created, the entity responsible for promoting the construction of public housing, managing the available housing stock, and promoting sustainable housing policies such as the renovation of apartments and buildings. As of 2023, the IMHAB manages a housing stock that exceeds 11,500 units in the city, which represents a significant increase compared to the 7,500 apartments registered in 2015. In parallel, the purchase of hundreds of apartments for public rental housing has also been promoted, as well as the launch of new innovation and renovation projects.

More information

Approval of IMHAB new name in the BOPB (CAT) (PDF 65.37 KB)

IMHAB Services

Contractors Area

Access for the contractors of Barcelona’s Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation.

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User Area

Area for the Beneficiaries of the IMHAB’s local housing stock and car-parks.

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Aparcaquí

Portal of access to the Aparcaquí service of the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation of Barcelona

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Commercial properties

Portal of access for the listing of commercial properties of the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation of Barcelona

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Transparency

Right to Housing Plan

Participation and relationship with citizens

Right to the access of public information

Contractor profile

Organisation Chart

The term of office of the current Municipal Corporation ends at midnight on 27 May 2023. Its members will continue in ordinary administrative functions until their successors take office, in the case of elected members. Senior managers will continue in their functions until the moment of their resignation or until the person who appointed them resigns. Inauguration of the elected members will take place on Saturday, 17 June 2023 or, in the event that an electoral appeal has been filed, on Friday, 7 July 2023.