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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.

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Towards climate neutrality: the City Council presents the ‘Guide for the decarbonisation of rehabilitation’

28/05/2025 - 10:13

Habitatge. The City Council, through IMHAB and Bithabitat, will present the ‘Guide for decarbonisation of rehabilitation’, as part of the ‘Enabling Massive Change for Climate Neutral Cities’ project that aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.

Ca l’Alier will host a technical day focused on the presentation of the ‘Guide for the decarbonization of rehabilitation’, a document that includes solutions for the rehabilitation of housing buildings with criteria of decarbonization and urban resilience. Presented by the Barcelona City Council, through IMHAB and the Bithabitat foundation, the meeting will take place on June 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This guide is part of the European project ‘Enabling Massive Change for Climate Neutral Cities’, of which Barcelona is part, and which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. The publication establishes different strategies framed in five objectives: energy saving and efficiency; the circular economy and incorporated energy; resilience and adaptation to climate change; improvement of health; and biodiversity and biophilia.

In this way, the guide offers practical orientations that can be applied in the city of Barcelona as well as criteria for decarbonization and climate adaptation in the processes of building rehabilitation.

In the same way, taking into account climate change and urban vulnerability, the guide addresses in depth various proposals and constructive solutions to make the most of the decarbonization of the built park. In the same way, he points out the importance of promoting cities, urban groups that emit less CO2.

Guide presentation day

In addition to the presentation of the guide, by the architect Jordi París, from Paris Camps Arquitectura, who will focus on innovative solutions for rehabilitation, the day will include institutional and technical interventions to contextualize the objectives of the project. Tools such as the massive rehabilitation viewer and the living lab will also be presented, and experiences and solutions already applied will be shared.

Those interested in attending the presentation can register for free using this web form.