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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.​

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Barcelona City Council signs the land right to build the first senior cohousing in the city

Barcelona City Council signs the land right to build the first senior cohousing in the city

27/03/2023 - 17:02

Housing. The Can 70 project of the cooperative Sostre Cívic, located on Via Augusta in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, is part of the ESAL Agreement, which promotes cooperative housing in Barcelona.

The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation, signed the deed of incorporation of the right of superficies on two properties on Via Augusta in favor of the cooperative ‘Sostre Cívic’, the objective of which is for the cooperative to develop the first senior housing project in Barcelona, with people from the Can 70 motor group. The objective is for the cooperative to develop the first senior cohousing project in Barcelona, with people from the Can 70 motor group. The transfer of the municipal land is part of the ESAL Agreement, which promotes cooperative housing in the city.

The transfer of this space to Sostre Cívic is specifically intended for the Can 70 project, a group of about 20 people, mostly women, who are between 55 and 70 years old, and who since 2015 have been working and debating on the model of coexistence they want, and how they want to live and grow old in community. In this sense, the signing of the surface right allows Can 70 to become, once built, the first senior cooperative housing in Barcelona and the first on public land in Catalonia and throughout Spain.

For practical purposes, the signature, formalized at the Barcelona City Hall, allows the successful bidder to enjoy the right to use the site for 99 years, assuming the cost of the construction of the building. As they are classified as subsidized housing, the maximum rent for each cohabitation unit can be limited.

The signing of this agreement follows the path of the first surface rights signed by the City Council within the framework of the ESAL Agreement, in this case for the housing cooperatives ‘Abril’ and ‘La Domèstika’, which took place last August 2022.

Development of the ESAL Agreement

Signed in 2020 between the City Council and the main federations of cooperatives and social housing foundations, the ESAL Agreement is a pioneering mechanism for cooperation with the third sector, in which public land is assigned to non-profit organizations and the transfer of land. This promotes the construction and renovation of subsidized housing for rental and transfer of the right of use (cohousing) through the constitution of surface rights. This is a tool that boosts the growth of the public housing stock, while diversifying the range of agents involved.

The Agreement is therefore an alliance between the Barcelona City Council and the Federació de Cooperatives d’Habitatges de Catalunya (FCHC), the Coordinadora de Fundacions d’Habitatge Social (Cohabitac), the Associació Xarxa d’Economia Solidària (XES) and the Associació de Gestors de Polítiques Socials d’Habitatge de Catalunya (GHS).

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