Tanca Tanca

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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Status: NOT AVAILABLE.

Recipients: People with difficulties paying the rent and derived from a mediation process

Family income limit: Between 2 and 3 times the IRSC.*

Maximum monthly rent: 970€ (in the case of benefits from a reliable communication of expiration of the contract, the amount of the new rental agreement cannot be higher than the reference price index for the rental price, provided that this is lower than the maximum limit of 970 euros provided as a general rule).

Administration that grants the aid: Housing Consortium of Barcelona.

Details of the aid

Municipal aid for rent payment

Aid for rent payment helps achieve two objectives.

  • First of all, it allows people to keep their habitual residence, guaranteeing they can remain in a familiar place and preventing the traumatic process of losing a home.
  • Secondly, when a home is lost due to eviction and foreclosure, those affected are provided with a new rental contract and financial assistance.

The municipal aid for rent payment is financial assistance for tenants with difficulties paying their monthly rent. This aid, which is granted after mediation between the parties involved and the City Council, allows the tenant to keep their home and prevents social exclusion.

This aid is intended for persons residing in the city of Barcelona, ​​who are holders of a rental contract corresponding to their habitual and permanent residence.

What do you need to know to request this help?

In these sections, you can learn about the eligibility requirements and the steps you must take to request this aid. The application can be presented at any Housing Office of Barcelona.

Recipients

  • Households that formalise a rental contract for a home after completing a stay or inclusion process in a residential centre of the Barcelona Inclusion Housing Network or in a housing centre for female victims of gender violence, in which the referring service is SARA (Care, Recovery and Shelter Service) or ABITS (Agency for a Comprehensive Approach to Sexual Occupations) of the City Council of Barcelona, as well as persons who have lost their habitual residence and, at the request of the Evaluation Board for the granting of social emergency aid, formalise a new rental contract.
  • Households that have been assisted by the mediation service of the Barcelona Housing Offices, and that:
    • Have signed a rental agreement through the Barcelona Rented Housing Pool.
    • Have agreed with the property owner to a minimum rebate of €50 per month on the rent, provided that they submit the application within a maximum period of 120 days from the effective date of the rebate agreement signed with the property owner. Exceptionally, this agreement will not be required if a legal proceeding for the non-payment of rent has been initiated.
    • Have received a valid communication from the property warning of the termination of the rental contract and, through the mediation services of the housing offices, they are ready to keep it.
  • Households that have received guaranteed temporary aid and/or support services for the access to housing granted by the Social Rights Department.

Eligibility requirements

Recipients must meet the following requirements:

  • Proof of legal residence in the city of Barcelona. For specific and urgent housing situations, it is sufficient for the applicant to show they were included in the municipal register for the six months immediately prior to the application submission date.
  • Be registered as residing at the home for which the aid is requested.
  • The home must constitute the habitual and permanent residence of the applicant.
  • Household income: the maximum income limit is 2 times the weighted Adequate Income Indicator of Catalonia (IRSC) for a single person household, 2.5 times the IRSC for households of two or more persons, or 3 times the IRSC for households with a disabled person or with a high degree of dependence (more information in the table).
  • Monthly rent for the home may be no more than 970 euros. In the case of benefits from a reliable communication of the property of expiration of the contract, the amount of the new rental agreement may not be higher than the reference price index of the rent published by the Agència Catalana de l’Habitatge.
  • More than 30% of the household income must be allocated to the payment of rent.
  • The applicant must have incurred rent debts or have difficulties paying monthly rent due to a lack of economic resources.
  • Prove adequate conditions to be able to continue paying the rent after receiving the aid.
  • The aid must be paid directly into a bank account.
  • Must pay the rent by bank transfer, direct debit, account deposit or receipt issued by the property administrator, at least as of the month following the submission date of the application.
  • No member of the household may be the owner of any other residential property, unless it is not available for use and enjoyment of it due to separation or divorce or for any reason beyond their control, or when the home is inaccessible due to the disability of the owner or a member of the cohabitation unit. It is not considered to be the owner or usufructuary of a house if the right falls only on an aliquot part of the house and it has been obtained by transmission mortis causa.
  • There cannot be any kinship ties by marriage or other similar stable relationship, by consanguinity, adoption or affinity up to the second degree between the tenants and the property owner.
  • The applicant or household may not have taxable savings of more than €500.
  • Beneficiaries of these benefits cannot be those people who have been granted an economic emergency social benefit derived from mediation in the city of Barcelona in the 2021 call for the same housing, except in cases of duly credited separation or divorce or reliable demand for non-payment of rent.
  • Tenants of homes owned or managed by the Housing Agency of Catalonia or the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation of Barcelona, or of homes subsidised by public programmes, are not eligible for this aid.

Documentation

Applicants for municipal aid for rent payment must complete the application form and submit it with the following documentation:
 

  • Valid identification document (DNI / NIF / NIE or equivalent) of the applicant and all adult members of the household. If any member of the household does not have a DNI / NIF / NIE, they must provide the identification document they do have.
  • Certificate of cohabitation that proves the home to be the habitual residence of all members of the household.
  • Rental contract in the name of the applicant. For rental contracts with effect as of 1 June 2013, the tenant must prove they have fulfilled the obligation to pay a deposit to the landlord.
  • Rental receipt from the previous month and the month in which the application is submitted. Exceptionally, in cases in which debt has been generated and claimed by the property owner, judicially or extrajudicially, the last two receipts for rent paid as well as the documentation corresponding to the claim of the existing debt must be submitted.
  • Family register book, if applicable.
  • Proof of income for each member of the household that is of working age. The following documentation must be submitted:
    • Personal income tax declaration (IRPF) corresponding to the last closed fiscal year of the applicant and of each member of the household that is of working age. In case of exemption, the certificate of imputations from the State Agency of the Tax Administration (AEAT) must be provided.
    • Original and photocopy or certified photocopy of the last three payrolls prior to the submission date of the application. Self-employed workers must provide the last or last quarterly tax (IRPF) declaration.
    • Unemployed persons, pensioners and persons receiving social benefits must submit the certificate(s) issued by the paying body or bodies stating the amount to be received throughout the current year.
    • Responsible declaration of income, for exceptional situations in which the applicant or a member of the household cannot justify his/her income with the previously mentioned documentation.
  • Working life report issued by the Treasury of Social Security for the applicant and each member of the household that is of working age. This report must be requested through the Social Security website or by telephone 901 502 050.
  • Standardised bank data form, in the name of the applicant, with the information corresponding to the account into which the benefit must be paid, duly stamped by the financial institution.
  • Notification from the property owner or representative certifying that the tenant is not up to date with rent payment or, in case of not having this, a sworn statement by the tenant regarding the impossibility of making rent payments.

 

Specific documentation:
 
For requests derived from mediation by the Housing Offices of Barcelona:

  • Agreement signed with the property owner including, as a minimum, the rent rebate to be made, the date when the agreement comes into force, and the final rent amount to be paid by the tenant.
  • Rent payment receipt which shows the rent amount after the reduction agreed by the owner.
  • If judicial proceedings have been initiated, legal documentation regarding the claims for non-payment of rent.

 
For cases derived from the Social Rights Department of the Barcelona City Council:

  • Report from the Municipal Institute of Social Services of Barcelona.

 

For aid to households that have completed a stay or inclusion process in a residential centre, the following must be submitted in addition to the documentation described above:

  • Report signed by the director of the social inclusion housing management entity, which states that the household applying for the aid has achieved the objectives established in the insertion process and has stopped living in the residential centre managed by the entity that forms part of the Barcelona Social Inclusion Housing Network in the last six months.
  • Report signed by the director of SARA (Care, Recovery and Shelter Service) or ABITS (Agency for a Comprehensive Approach to Sexual Occupations) stating that the applicant household has achieved the objectives established and is no longer living in a residential centre for female victims of gender violence.

 

For aid derived from the Assessment Committee for the allocation of emergency social housing: 

  • Report from the Secretary of the Assessment Committee responsible for allocating emergency social housing to people who have lost their home.

 

Obtaining data electronically:
 
When the applicant and the members of the household authorise the managing body to obtain the data necessary for the processing and assessment of the application, it is not necessary to submit the following documentation:
 

  • Certificate of cohabitation that certifies the residence in the home of all people in the household.
  • Identity document (DNI or equivalent) of the applicant and of all members of the household.
  • Tax (IRPF) declaration of the applicant and of all people of working age in the household.
  • Payment receipts, in the case of unemployed persons and pensioners.
  • Certificate of the degree of disability, if applicable.
  • Single parent or large family card, if applicable

The Housing Consortium of Barcelona may request, directly or through the entities collaborating in the management of these benefits, additional documentation to complete their knowledge of the application submitted.

Amount and application period

  • The amount of the aid varies according to each person and situation. In all cases, however, the monthly amount of the aid will be determined by the difference between the amount of rent paid by the tenant and the amount that should be paid (30% of the income). The minimum amount, in any case, is 20 euros per month. 
  • Municipal aid for rent payment can be granted for a maximum duration of 12 months. 
  • The call is currently closed

Incompatibilities

This aid may not be awarded for the same monthly payments of the current year as other aid or benefits from public administrations or entities that have the same purpose. In case of duplication of benefits for the same monthly payments, a partial or total revocation will be made in accordance with the duplicity that has been committed.

Additional information

  • Payment of the aid is conditioned by the budgetary availability established in the call and by the knowledge of the Housing Consortium of Barcelona that the beneficiary is up to date with the payment of rent. 
  • Given that this benefit is a public subsidy and involves capital income, the beneficiary must present his/her personal income tax declaration (IRPF), which must include the amount received. 
  • Payment of the aid must be made through a financial institution.
  • The aid can be paid directly to the beneficiary or, if it is expressly authorised, to the person who provides a guardianship or mediation service, in favour of which this right is granted.