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.​

Imatge de la façana d'una promoció d'habitatge públic

In this website you will find all the public information on housing in Barcelona. 

You can access the analyses carried out by the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory, the open data website of the Barcelona City Council, the different publications it produces, as well as the State Reference System for Housing Rental Prices.

Tools for understanding the housing situation 

Collecting, analysing and disseminating data on the housing situation in the city is an increasingly necessary task, not only to support the design of public policies, but also to enrich the public debate and respond to citizens’ demands for transparency. For this reason, this website provides access to all public information related to housing in Barcelona. 

On the one hand, the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory (O-HB) is a body created by the City Council, the Àrea Metropolitana, the Diputació de Barcelona and the Generalitat de Catalunya, with the support of the Association of Social Housing Policy Managers of Catalonia. Its purpose is to collect, analyse and disseminate data on housing in the metropolitan area. 

Other resources available are the various publications produced by the Barcelona City Council on different topics related to housing, such as the dissemination of policies in this area and housing indicators. 

In addition, it is possible to access all the information on housing available on the Barcelona City Council’s Open Data website

Finally, there is the State Reference System for Housing Rental Prices. This is a reference index of housing rental prices that serves as a guideline for determining the price or fee in new housing rental contracts.