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.​

    • ->Outside facade of two newly constructed buildings
    • ->A woman walks in front of solar panels
    • ->A roof within a block
    • ->Green landscape in one block
    • ->A woman leaves the home of lift
  • Areas and neighbourhoods in the city with special subsidies

    Renovation is a key tool for addressing social inequalities. Poor building maintenance can damage the health of neighbourhood residents and damages their homes. This results in a deterioration of public space and a lower quality of life in the community.

    That is why the Barcelona Housing Consortium - driven by the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia - offers subsidies for renovation. These subsidies are intended for renovating home interiors and common elements to ensure habitability and accessibility, making them healthy and efficient.

    A set of special interest areas has been defined, where special subsidies can be obtained. The areas currently included in this programme are:

    • Ciutat Vella (buildings included in the Plan “Dintres” and the Area of preservation and renovation of San Ramón and Robador)
    • Besòs i Maresme
    • Canyelles

    Do you want to know where the areas with special subsidies are?

    In these pages, you can find out the different areas of Barcelona that are considered to be of special interest, and therefore enjoy greater protection.

    Why are some areas eligible for special grants?

    Due to their characteristics, there are areas and neighbourhoods in the city that require special attention and, for this reason, they are eligible for specific grants or grants at a higher value than the rest of Barcelona.

    If you live in one of these areas, the grants are processed by the Housing Office of the corresponding district. Specialist staff will deal with the application and will support applicants throughout the process.

    Which areas are eligible for special grants?

    There are currently three types of urban areas that are eligible for special grants in Barcelona:

     

    Urban complexes

    These are housing complexes of special interest with individual renovation agreements.

     

    Conservation and renovation area of Sant Ramon in Ciutat Vella

    To allow for special intervention in areas at risk of social breakdown, the Right to Housing Act provides for Conservation and Renovation Areas. One of the main objectives is to improve the housing stock, thereby creating better quality public spaces.

    Ciutat Vella (Plan “Dintres” and the Area of preservation and renovation of Sant Ramón)

    For renovations to improve the common elements of a building, the subsidy will be 50% of the cost, with a limit of €60,000. When various actions are required in a building, according to the technical report, subsidies may be requested for them separately, provided that an agreement with an approved work schedule has been signed. In these cases, the subsidy shall be granted upon completion of each action, provided that the work schedule is maintained.

    In the case of owners or tenants of homes that are included in the Plan “Dintres” of the Ciutat Vella district or the San Ramón renovation area, in the Ciutat Vella district, the subsidy shall be 50%, with a limit of €12,000. The homeowners must prove through the municipal register that the property was and will continue to be their habitual residence. The owners or tenants of these homes shall credit a maximum income of three times the IRSC, according to the household income table established in the current Housing Plan. Subsidies may be requested by both owners who live in the homes and the owners who have rented their properties for habitual and permanent residence, as well as the tenants who live in the property (the latter requires the authorisation of the owner). When finishing construction, the homes must continue to be occupied by the same household as before requesting the aid.

    Urban complex of Besòs i Maresme

    The amount of the subsidy for the renovation of these buildings will be the following:

    • For actions of repairs of structural pathologies, it will be 85% with no upper limit of the protectable budget. The remaining 15%, to reach 100%, will be contributed by the neighbours.
    • For actions of installation of lifts, the subsidy will be 60% with no upper limit of the protectable budget. The remaining 40%, to reach 100%, will be contributed by the neighbours.
    • For actions included in the pilot energy renovation project, the subsidy will be that established in the Royal Decree regulating the assistance programmes in matters of residential renovation and social housing of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

    The protectable budget will be composed of the execution budget of the works, the overheads and the industrial profit, the technical fees, the costs of prior studies (and any precautionary measures implemented) and the costs of drafting the Technical Repost on the Building and the Energy Certificate, along with any rates and taxes which may be applied on the above items, as set forth in Article 8.1 of the rules approved by the General Meeting on 21/12/2020 (DOGC nº 8404 of 7.5.2021). Protection will apply to all the works included in the works project approved by the respective homeowners’ associations and included in the financing agreement signed with the collaborating entity of the Barcelona Housing Consortium and the respective homeowners’ associations.

    Social Cohesion Programme

    Any homeowners whose family unit certifies having incomes less than 3 times the IRSC according to the table of family incomes established in the current Housing Plan may request, in the cases of structural repairs and installation of a lift, a complementary subsidy charged to the contribution of the Barcelona City Council of up to 100% of any individual contribution corresponding to them.

    Homeowners may apply for this complementary subsidy provided the following requirements are met:

    • Being the owner of the affected home, and that it constitutes the applicant’s permanent habitual residence.
    • Not having any other home in the city of Barcelona.

    This complementary subsidy will be processed in parallel with the subsidy application and will be paid into the same bank account, barring express request to the contrary by the homeowners’ association. This subsidy may be requested at any moment of the processing of the file of the homeowners’ association until the submission of the notification of completion of works. Once the notification of completion of works has been submitted, no further individual application for subsidy will be admitted. In order to obtain the individual subsidy, the subsidy for the homeowners’ association must have been approved.

    The life of this account item will be thirty years.

    Territorial Cohesion Programme

    Any homeowners who apply for the subsidies included in the pilot energy renovation project will be able to receive a complementary subsidy from the contribution of the Barcelona City Council of up to 100% of the corresponding individual contribution. Homeowners will be able to apply for this complementary subsidy provided they are the owners of the affected home and it constitutes their permanent habitual residence.

    This complementary subsidy will be processed in parallel with the subsidy application and will be paid into the same bank account, barring express request to the contrary by the homeowners’ association. This subsidy may be requested at any moment of the processing of the file of the homeowners’ association, until the submission of the notification of completion of works. Once the notification of completion of works has been submitted, no further individual application for subsidy will be admitted. In order to obtain the individual subsidy, the subsidy for the homeowners’ association must have been approved.

    The life of this account item will be thirty years.

    Period

    The submission period for applications for renovation of housing buildings of the Besòs i Maresme district with a specific agreement will open on the day after the publication of this call in the DOGC and will end on 31 December 2021.

    Urban complex of Canyelles

    The amount of the subsidy for the renovation of these buildings will be the following:

    • 85% with no upper limit of the protectable budget of the works on structural pathologies in accordance with Decree nº 274/2006 of 20 June on subsidies for renovation of public development groups. Of this percentage, 60% will be on account of the contribution of the Catalan Housing Agency and 25% on account of the contribution of the Barcelona City Council, and the remaining 15%, to reach 100%, will be contributed by the neighbours.
    • For any works which, in accordance with the technical specifications for the Canyelles district, are not included in the previous section, an additional subsidy of 85% will be granted on account of the contribution of the Barcelona City Council, provided they are works executed simultaneously in accordance with the current regulations and as a consequence of the protectable works.

    The protectable budget will be composed of the execution budget of the works, the overheads and the industrial profit, the technical fees, the costs of prior studies (and any precautionary measures implemented) and the costs of drafting the Technical Repost on the Building and the Energy Certificate, along with any rates and taxes which may be applied on the above items, as set forth in Article 8.1 of the rules approved by the General Meeting on 21/12/2020 (DOGC nº 8404 of 7.5.2021).

    Any homeowners whose family unit certifies having incomes less than 3 times the IRSC according to the table of family incomes established in the current Housing Plan may request a complementary subsidy charged to the contribution of the Barcelona City Council of up to 100% of any individual contribution corresponding to them for the corresponding action, provided the following requirements are met:

    • Being the owner of the affected home, and that it constitutes the applicant’s permanent habitual residence.
    • Not having any other home in the city of Barcelona.

    In the event of the home having more than one owner, it will be necessary to submit the authorisation of all the owners for registration in the Land Registry. In order to establish the amount of the individual contribution, the applicant for this subsidy must submit a certificate issued by the secretary and president of the homeowners’ association, completing a form provided by the Consortium, stating the amount of the applicant’s individual contribution to the homeowners’ association for the payment for the renovation of the structural pathologies and the coefficient which will be applied to the applicant in the passing-on of any subsidy granted to the association. These conditions must be fulfilled at the moment the subsidy is granted.

    This complementary subsidy will be processed in parallel with the subsidy application and will be paid into the same bank account, barring express request to the contrary by the homeowners’ association. This subsidy may be requested at any moment of the processing of the file of the homeowners’ association until the submission of the notification of completion of works. Once the notification of completion of works has been submitted, no further individual application for subsidy will be admitted. In order to obtain the individual subsidy, the subsidy for the homeowners’ association must have been approved.

    Period

    The submission period for applications for renovation of housing buildings of the districts with specific agreements will open on the day after the publication of this call in the DOGC and will end on 31 December 2021.