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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.

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.​

La Borda cooperative housing project wins the Mies van der Rohe Award 2022

12/05/2022 - 18:32

Housing. Promoted by Barcelona’s Lacol cooperative, the project in the neighbourhood of La Bordeta won the award for emerging architecture.

The city hosted a new edition of the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. The competition attracted 532 projects from 41 countries, with the awards going to the Irish studio Grafton Architects, for Town House – Kingston University, and to Barcelona’s Lacol, for La Borda collective housing, a project conceived and built in the city.

The awards ceremony was part of the EUmies Awards Day, held throughout the day in Barcelona and also including an exhibition of scale models, texts, videos and drawings of the forty shortlisted projects and a summary of all 532 nominated. The EUmies Awards Talks we also held, with winning architects, finalists, clients and members of the jury.

The awards were given as part of the Model. Barcelona Architectures Festival, the big event held this May to announce the Barcelona as the UIA-UNESCO World Capital of Architecture for 2026. The festival is on until Sunday, 15 May, offering a 7 km circuit delimiting the boundary between Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample and featuring physical and experimental augmented reality installations in public space, communal meals, routes, workshops and debates inviting people to rediscover the city and architecture.

La Borda, a social project with the seal of the city

The winner of the Mies van de Rohe for emerging architecture 2022, La Board, is a cooperative project based on joint ownership and the joint management of resources. In 2018, it became the first new-build cohousing construction in the city, on a plot of land ceded by the City Council in the neighbourhood of La Bordeta. The design and construction of the building are the work of the architects cooperative Lacol. The building was constructed mainly of timber, according to sustainability criteria.

La Borda is made up of 28 homes and different communal spaces, with a large kitchen, a laundry and multi-purpose rooms to foster community life. It has gained recognition through distinctions such as the Special Prize for Innovation in the European Responsible Housing Awards (2019) and the City of Barcelona Award (2018).