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.​

Keys to emergency homes are handed over to ten families from Barcelona

17/02/2022 - 18:41

Housing. Each month, the Housing Consortium allocates homes from its Social Rental Housing Fund through Barcelona’s Social Emergency Board for families in vulnerable situations.

Ten families in vulnerable situations now have a new home. The payment process, the signing of the contract and release of the documentation has taken place this morning, and Barcelona City Council’s Councillor for Housing, Lucía Martín has welcomed the families and handed over the keys to the flats in which they will live. This is one of the allocations of emergency homes which takes place each month through the Emergency Board, a mechanism used by the Barcelona Housing Consortium to prevent the social exclusion of people undergoing economic hardship and to ensure that people who are at risk of losing their home have the right to housing.

To request rehousing from the Emergency Board, the first step involves going to the nearest Housing Office, so they can study each case and draft the corresponding report, essential to process the assessment request of the Emergency Board. In order to be eligible for rehousing, the applicant(s) must be in an economic and social emergency situation, such as being in the process of being evicted for rental payment arrears, the home being repossessed due to arrears with their mortgage payments, women in a situation of residential exclusion due to violence by men or where there are minors, elderly people or people in a situation of neglect in the home in question in precarious hygiene, health or safety conditions.

The Board is responsible for assessing the cases issued by the Barcelona Housing Offices and allocating the available homes in the Social Rental Housing Fund on the date on which the Board’s meeting is held. The Board meets on a monthly basis to allocate the available homes. You can check the allocations in this link.

In the event that the cases favourably assessed by the Board are greater than the number of homes available at that time, the applicants will be gradually allocated a home from the ‘Pisos Buits’ (Empty Flats) programme (as these flats are incorporated into the Social Rental Housing Fund) until the next Board meeting is held. The Board has to reach an agreement and publish it in a maximum period of three months from the date of receiving the request with the completed documentation.

You can find out more information as well as check the Emergency Board’s regulations on the Barcelona Housing Consortium website.