Agreement to move the open prison and build social housing in Trinitat Vella

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. The deal to transfer the Trinita Vella open prison frees up land for the construction of 256 flats for social housing and municipal facilities.

Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government have reached an agreement to move the Model prison and the Trinitat Vella open prison, paving the way for the construction of 256 flats for social housing in the district of Sant Andreu.

The move means two sites which have long been claimed by local residents will be regained. The sites are needed for new municipal facilities and to help boost the public housing stock in the city.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, asserted that the agreement benefits both institutions, “but above all the residents of Barcelona and particularly the neighbourhoods of Left Eixample” nearest to the penitentiary centre. “We’re responding to a demand which goes back decades”, asserted the Mayor.

According to the agreement signed by the two institutions, the City Council will transfer the ownership of two sites in the Zona Franca, at no cost to the Generalitat, so it can build two new penitentiary facilities which will enable the transfer of the Model and Trinitat Vella prisons.

A new initiative to boost social housing

The site housing Open Prison 2 in Trinitat Vella is currently owned by City Council and the Catalan Government. To allow for the construction of the 265 flats for social housing, the Generalitat is to sell its two thirds of the land to City Council for 5.5 million euros.

The acquisition of the land means the city will then have a total of 22,000 m2 available to extend the public housing stock, in line with the 2016-2025 Right to Housing Plan.

In this case the construction of 256 homes is planned, 110 of which will be used for rehousing purposes. The new homes will be added to the current social housing stock, with the aim of achieving the intended rate of a thousand new homes every year until 2025.

The Catalan Department of Justice will be able to keep the Trinitat Vella open prison in operation as long as it needs to, but the City Council will be able to use the part of the site which is not built on to start constructing the first block as soon as possible.

Agreement between institutions

The deal takes the form of an agreement signed this week by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, the Vice-President of the Catalan Government and Minister for Economy and Finance, Oriol Junqueras, the Councillor for Justice, Carles Mundó, and the Deputy Mayor for Ecology, Urban Planning and Mobility, Janet Sanz.

Following months of negotiations, the Catalan Government and Barcelona City Council have struck a deal which sets out a calendar for each of them to satisfy their commitments. According to Colau, the City Council “will spare no effort” and do everything required so that “everything is ready in 2018” for the two centres to be moved.

Both administrations are thus involved in improving quality of life in the neighbourhoods and dignifying penitentiary facilities in Barcelona.

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