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.​

The prevention of residential exclusion and the attention to people in vulnerable situations are priority axes of Barcelona City Council activity.

Measures to cope with situations of housing emergency

Prevention, attention and aid to build a fairer city

The economic situation and the dynamics of the real estate market have led to many people living in inadequate conditions, losing their homes or being at risk of losing them. In order to defend the rights of these people, the City Council has enacted various policies.

These measures have a transversal scope: aid and advisory and mediation services are available to prevent situations of risk, and when an eviction does take place, emergency aid is available to those affected by the eviction to ensure dignified rehousing.

In this way, the City Council acts on the full range of situations that may affect citizens in regard to housing emergencies and residential exclusion. The aim of the City Council is to avoid the exclusion of people who are in situations of risk due to economic circumstances. This contributes to making Barcelona a more socially just city, as established in the Right to Housing Plan.

What mechanisms does the City Council have in place for cases of eviction?

In these sections, you will find all the services and aid that the City Council offers if you have lost your home or are at risk of losing it. You can obtain more information and assistance at the Housing Offices of Barcelona.

Prevention

Prevention is the best mechanism to deal with the risk of eviction. To help prevent such situations, the Barcelona City Council offers the following services:

  • Firstly, information is disseminated through the Housing Offices so that citizens are aware of their rights and the possibilities for support (advising, aid, etc.) that are available to them.
  • Another important tool is mediation, which aims to find points of agreement between the parties involved. This service can also be requested from the Housing Offices, which help to negotiate with the property owner and search for housing alternatives.
  • Finally, households can request aid for the payment of rent and mortgages in order to prevent conflicts over the property.

What is SIPHO and how can it help you?

The Service of Intervention in the Loss of Housing and Employment, or SIPHO, offers assistance to households affected by an eviction process. It provides advising services and information about legal rights.
 
If is not possible to reach an agreement to stop the eviction and the eviction date arrives, SIPHO carries out the final negotiations and assists the families affected.
 

Emergency aid for the loss of housing

There is aid available specifically to support people who are in an eviction process. You can see the key information in the following table.
 
You can find additional information about this aid below:

 

Eligibility requirements

 Recipients of the aid must meet the following requirements:

  • Reside in Catalonia.
  • Applicants must be in an eviction situation and must hold a rental contract or be in the process of seeking housing.
  • Prove the urgency and special need of the household by means of a socioeconomic report from social services of primary or specialised care, in which the granting of this aid for these reasons is proposed.
  • The combined income in the household of the applicant at the time of submitting the application (monthly income weighted according to the number of people in the household and the zone in which the home is located) cannot exceed 2 times the weighted Adequate Income Indicator of Catalonia (IRSC, in its Catalan acronym) for a single person household; 2.5 times the weighted IRSC for households of two or more members; or 3 times the weighted IRSC for persons with disabilities or a high degree of dependence.
  • A household is understood as the people registered at an address regardless of whether they are related to each other.
  • The period between the date on which the home was left and the date on which the benefit is requested cannot be longer than 24 months.
  • The home must constitute the habitual and permanent residence of the applicant, and must be listed as his/her domicile according to the municipal register.
  • No person in the household, including the applicant, may own any other residential property, unless it is unavailable for use and enjoyment.
  • The applicant must hold a rental contract, an agreement of use or, exceptionally, a sublet contract for the home that constitutes his/her habitual and permanent residence.
  • Neither the applicant nor any other member of the household can have kinship ties with the landlord (marriage, stable relationship, consanguinity, adoption or affinity, up to the second degree).
  • The monthly rent that the applicant must pay cannot exceed 900 euros.
  • These cases will have the right to access to these helps the cases of gender violence, favorable rulings of the Bureau, without assigned housing of any emergency table; and cases of expiration of the contract term.
  • These benefits can be accessed by the occupants of housing managed by the Housing Agency of Catalonia, and those who have not received the offer to access a housing in the public rental park and have not accepted it. of justified cause.
  • In order to be eligible for the concession, the beneficiary must pay the rent by bank transfer, direct debit, deposit into an account, or receipt issued by the property administrator, starting from the month following the date of the concession resolution.

 

Documentation

 With the application, the following documentation must be submitted:

  • Responsible declaration of the applicant, regarding whether other public or private aid has been requested or obtained for the same purpose, and presenting the detailed list of the entities that have granted aid as well as the amount requested and obtained, if applicable.
  • Original and photocopy or certified photocopy of the identity card (DNI) or foreigner’s identity number (NIE) of the applicant and of all members of the household. If any member of the household does not have a DNI / NIE, an equivalent identification document must be presented. Newly arrived persons who have obtained a DNI must include the NIE that they had before the DNI on the application.
  • Socioeconomic report issued by municipal social services of primary or specialised social care, regarding the situation of the household.
  • Certificate of cohabitation proving that the home is the habitual residence of all the people in the household.
  • Proof of income of the applicant and of each member of the household that is of working age. Income must be accredited as follows:
  • Original and photocopy or certified photocopy of the last three payrolls prior to the presentation of the application.
  • In the case of unemployed persons, the certificate/s from the employment office with the amount received during the last three months prior to the presentation of the application.   
  • In the case of pensioners, the certificate/s issued by the paying body or bodies of the amount to be received for the current year.  
  • In the case of self-employed workers, original and photocopy or certified photocopy of the last quarterly tax (IRPF) declaration.
  • Working life report issued by the Treasury of Social Security for the applicant and all persons of working age in the household. This report must be ordered via the Social Security website or by telephone 901 502 050.
  • Responsible declaration of the applicant regarding compliance with the requirements.
  • Certified photocopy of the family record book, if applicable.
  • Judicial sentence or separation or divorce agreement, if applicable.
  • Documentation proving the eviction or foreclosure process of the home, or other recognised and validated intermediation processes in which the home where the applicant previously resided has been lost.
  • Proof of having made three rent payments or six mortgage payments for the home, if the documentation of the corresponding process does not adequately show this.
  • Receipts for all rent paid for the home for which the aid is requested, up to the submission date of application.
  • Standardised bank data form, in the name of the applicant, with the bank account data required in order to make the payment, stamped by the financial entity. In order to avoid going to the financial institution, a document certifying the bank account can be provided. 

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), TIE or European Union Citizen Registry Certificate 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.
  • Certificate of payments, in the case of unemployed persons and pensioners.
  • Certificate of the degree of disability, if applicable, or of reduced mobility that exceeds the degree of 33% of any of the members of the family unit or certificates of people with great dependency.
  • Single parent or large family card, if applicable
  • The Housing Agency of Catalonia 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 benefit is established at 60% of the annual rent of the house, with a maximum limit of 3.600€ per year. This benefit can only be granted once and for a maximum period of 12 months, but will be renewable for a further 24 monthly payments.
  • The aid is effective from the month following the submission date of the application. For cases in which a favorable resolution has been issued, conditioned by the contribution of the rental contract, the aid is effective from the month in which the contract was submitted.
  • The amount of the supplementary aid for the deposit and access to a rented home is determined by the accredited expense, with a maximum amount of 900 euros, and can only be granted once. No more than three months can pass between the date of signing the rental contract and the submission of the application.

 
Applications can be submitted at any Housing Office of Barcelona at any time of the year.

 

Incompatibilities

This aid is incompatible with the following lines of aid:

  • Maintenance of the basic income for emancipation, obtained in accordance with Royal Decree 1472/2007, of November 2.
  • Aid for the payment of the rent as provided by Law 18/2007, of 28 December, of the right to housing, when the object is the same monthly payment. When the aid is applied to different monthly payments, the sum of the amounts to be received in the same calendar year cannot exceed 4.500 euros.
  • Obtaining subventions for the payment of rent as provided by the Agreement of 22 July 2014, between the Ministry of Development and the Government of Catalonia for the execution of aid lines 2013-2016.
  • The same applicant can be granted aid for the payment of rent debts and aid for cases of eviction and the complementary aid for the deposit and payment of a new rented home in the same calendar year, provided that the sum of the different benefits does not exceed the maximum amount of 4.500 euros.
  • The granting of this aid does not prevent a non-profit organisation, which has signed an agreement with the Housing Agency, from granting temporary aid to the applicant in advance, with the same purpose. The granting of this aid does not presuppose approval of the aid by the Housing Agency of Catalonia.
  • These benefits are compatible with aid from other public administrations for the same purpose, provided that the sum of the different benefits granted does not exceed the amount of 4.500 euros and that they have not been obtained for the same year and for the same monthly payment.

 

Additional information

Given that this aid is a public subsidy and involves capital income, the beneficiary is obliged to present their personal income tax declaration (IRPF), which must include the amount received.
 
Payment of the aid will 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 may be granted.
 
More information can be obtained from the website of the Government of Catalonia.

The Emergency Committee

The Emergency Committee is a mechanism dedicated to assessing the situation of people at imminent risk of residential exclusion and referring them to housing for social emergency. To access this mechanism, the application procedures must be completed in any of the Housing Offices of Barcelona.

In this way, a solution can be offered in the most urgent cases to avoid the social exclusion of people facing economic difficulties.

The Committee is an entity created by the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia through the Housing Consortium of Barcelona with the aim of ensuring the right to housing for people at risk of eviction.

Consult the regulations of the Committee.

Rehousing

If you are in the process of eviction, you can seek aid and advising from the Housing Offices of Barcelona. The City Council provides the people affected with options for dignified relocation through various tools: the Emergency Committee (for the cases provided in its regulations), aid for the payment of rent, for loss of housing or other available resources.

If you find yourself in a very urgent situation, you can ask for help by calling the Urgencies and Emergencies Centre of Barcelona (CUESB), at the toll free number 900 703 030, which has a specialised team that will assist you if you need temporary emergency accommodation.