Tanca Tanca

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.

Close glossary

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.​

93% of evictions in the city halted since the start of the year

26/03/2021 - 13:18

Housing. Mediation, pressure from local movements and the state moratorium have enabled most evictions to be averted.

During the period from 18 January to 28 February, nine out of ten evictions of vulnerable families have been suspended thanks to the state moratorium on evictions, other existing regulatory mechanisms, mediation from municipal housing services and the efforts of local residents’ movements.

 

418 evictions halted

The municipal anti-eviction unit has worked on 450 eviction processes affecting 1,592 people, 37% of them minors. Out of the 418 processes halted, an agreement between both parties was reached in 77% of cases, such as the payment of rental quotas, additional time to enable the home to become part of the affordable rental property pool and other solutions.

In half the cases where evictions were halted, the owner had multiple properties. This shows the importance of having legal tools which oblige joint responsibility to find housing solutions and guarantee the right to housing of many families. These mechanisms also free up public economic and human resources, which can be used to reach agreements with small owners.

Mediation and agreements to avoid evictions

The state moratorium acts as an incentive for small property owners to reach agreements, buying time for professional teams to find a suitable solution and avoid the family having to go through the trauma of eviction. These agreements are one of the main causes for halting evictions and back up the need for obligatory mediation to continue avoiding evictions and reach solutions which benefit all parties.

Because of this, a housing law proposal has been sent to the central government with the aim of maintaining and expanding guarantees offered by the current moratorium for vulnerable families, besides extending the measures until the new housing legislation comes into force.