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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.​

The Emergency Board hands over the keys to housing to twelve families in Barcelona

30/11/2022 - 16:37

Housing. The Barcelona Housing Consortium delivers, on a monthly basis, housing from the Social Rental Fund to families in vulnerable situations.

A few weeks before the end of the year, twelve families living in Barcelona and with a complicated housing situation received, this Tuesday, news to celebrate. All of them already have a new home, once the keys to their new homes have been handed over, through the intervention of the Emergency Board. 

A mechanism, promoted by the Barcelona Housing Consortium, which works to prevent the social exclusion of people who suffer economic difficulties in order to realize their right to decent and affordable housing. The handover ceremony, where the contracts were also signed, was led by the Councilor for Housing and Rehabilitation of the Barcelona City Council, Lucía Martín.

The Barcelona Housing Consortium is the entity in charge of allocating, every month, new apartments from the Social Rental Fund, to people in a social and economic emergency.

These apartments, coming from the Social Rental Fund, can be requested by appointment at the Barcelona Housing Offices to ask for an assessment and a report on their particular case. From this point on, the Emergency Board will be in charge of evaluating and analyzing the dossiers received from the Offices to allocate housing. You can consult all the adjudications in this link.

To be eligible for this rehousing system, one must be in a situation of social and economic emergency, such as being in the process of eviction due to rental debt, foreclosure, or surrender of the property as payment for a mortgage debt, in a situation of residential exclusion due to domestic violence, or the property in question there are minors, elderly people or those living in a situation of neglect, in precarious hygienic, sanitary and safety conditions.

If there are not enough apartments available to respond to the dossiers positively assessed by the Board, housing will be allocated as they are incorporated into the Social Rental Fund until the Emergency Board is held the following month. You can consult the information and regulations of the Emergency Board by visiting the website of the Barcelona Housing Consortium.