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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.​

Work starts on a new block in Horta-Guinardó to continue generating affordable housing on public land

23/10/2021 - 13:16

Housing. La Clota will have 105 flats, providing housing for over 250 people, promoted by the cooperative Fem Ciutat through public and community collaboration.

Work is now under way on a new block of affordable housing in Barcelona. The project comes at a time where a record amount of social housing is currently being created in the city, with over 2,300 such homes either under construction or about to be built. Most developments are being implemented directly by the City Council, through the Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB), but in an effort to boost the affordable housing pool further there are also delegated developments and collaborative projects with non-profit social housing organisations and cooperatives. This is the case with La Clota, a 105-flat development now under way in the district of Horta-Guinardó and which will provide homes for over 250 people.

Located at Av. Estatut de Catalunya, 15-17, the block corresponds to the delegated development strategy. The City Council is seeking to boost the public housing pool through cooperative housing, to strengthen non-profit initiatives and the social fabric and prevent property speculation. In this case, the IMHAB is granting the leasehold on the land to the cooperative Fem Ciutat SCCL for a period of 75 years, during which time the land will remain publicly owned and consequently the homes will never end up on the private market. La Clota is the second development by the cooperative Fem Ciutat on a permanently public-owned municipal plot of land. The first, which was handed over to tenants in 2018 and consists of 38 homes, is located in Pl. Gardunya, in the Raval neighbourhood.

Five hundred new affordable homes in Horta-Guinardó

The building will have 105 homes, providing housing for over 250 people. Of these, 94 will be for members of the cooperative, chosen from applicants for officially protected housing, who will each buy the leasehold for their flat. The draw was conducted according to territorial criteria, and because of this half the homes were reserved for people who have been resident for at least a year in one of the five neighbourhoods around the block. The building will also have three adapted flats, awarded to people with reduced mobility and specific needs. The other 11 flats will be managed by the IMHAB and offered with affordable public rents.

La Clota will be a building with two different heights, one section with six floors and another with eight. The homes will have a useful floor space of between 80 and 90 square metres, distributed into three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining and living room and a terrace. Sustainability was a major consideration in the design of the building: all homes will have cross-ventilation, with air and light for the main rooms coming directly from the exterior. In addition, the building’s rooftops will have solar panelling to help heat sanitary water, reducing the energy demands and emissions for the homes. The project was designed by Lluís Jubert – Taller d’Arquitectura SLP.

Public and community collaboration to boost the affordable housing stock

This project corresponds to the second public competition of public sites for housing cooperatives, launched by Barcelona City Council. Three plots were awarded through the competition and will include 150 cooperative homes between them. Besides the land for La Clota, one plot was awarded at the Casernes de Sant Andreu site for the cooperative La Regadora to build 35 homes, and the other in C/ General Vives (Sarrià) for the cooperative Torrent Viu to build a further 16.

With these developments, the City Council seeks to drive cohousing as a new model of ownership, management and coexistence, promoted since the last term of office. Including these two, there are eight projects of this type being driven by different cooperatives on municipally owned sites in Barcelona. Four of these have been completed and another two, including 37 homes, are under construction.

The latest step in delegated developments with the no-profit sector for social and cooperative housing was an agreement with the main social housing groups and foundations and the cooperative sector, whereby the City Council will offer leaseholds on municipal plots or buildings to be renovated so that these entities can promote rental homes and co-housing. A first stage has already been awarded, with seven co-housing projects to provide a total of 144 flats, and five developments for rental housing, between them offering 229 flats. The prevision is that the agreement will provide the framework for up to 1,000 new homes in conjunction with the social and cooperative sector in the next few years.