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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.

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Two municipal sites assigned for 150 officially protected homes to be built

26/09/2025 - 13:44

Housing. The cooperative Llar Unió Catalònia will be tasked with construction.

The City Council grants the use of two municipal sites to Llar Unió Catalònia, the cooperative of the UGT trade union, for the construction of 150 protected homes in the districts of Sant Martí and Sants-Montjuïc.

One is located at C/ Llull, 77-81, in the district of Sant Martí, with 90 homes to be built there. The other is at C/ Cal Cisó, 32-38, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, for a further 60 homes.

The cooperative Llar Unió Catalònia will be tasked with building the homes, on a site leased free of charge for 75 years, with the option of extending this period to 90 years.

The deal is part of a set of municipal policies within the framework of the Pla Viure to boost the number of affordable homes available in the city as much as possible.

The Pla Viure has three main goals: to universalise the right to housing by enlarging the city’s stock of affordable social housing; to drive the renovation and improvement of homes from the perspective of sustainability, accessibility and comfort, and to place special attention on vulnerability, demographic challenges and people’s life stages. During this term of office the keys to 3,000 protected homes are to to be handed over, with 5,000 flats under construction and land being generated for a further 10,000 flats to be built.