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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.​

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Industrialised housing, one of the priorities of IMHAB to have more public housing, more sustainable and in less time

Industrialised housing, one of the priorities of IMHAB to have more public housing, more sustainable and in less time

27/05/2024 - 11:06

Housing. The industrialised construction system allows project times to be reduced, is more sustainable and optimises processes through a collaborative method between the construction company and architects.

The Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation of Barcelona (IMHAB) is promoting a new construction system that speeds up the building process: industrialised housing. By using this system, the public housing stock can grow much faster and citizens can have faster access to housing. Some examples of how this system works could be seen at the IMHAB stand during the last edition of Construmat, held in Barcelona between 21 and 23 May.

The single tender model for the project and works is used to reduce construction times. Unlike the traditional system, in this collaborative system the construction company and the architectural firm work together from the beginning of the project, and some of the processes are carried out in parallel in the factory and are taken to the site once they are ready.

Significant reduction in construction times

How does this work in practice? Based on real cases of buildings promoted by IMHAB, those that follow the traditional method and tendering are delivered on average after about five and a half years. On the other hand, those using the collaborative and industrialised system are completed in three and a half years.

These figures were given by Joan Carles Melero, IMHAB’s technical services manager, in a presentation at Construmat, the reference fair for the construction and renovation world, which was held at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona and featured all the most important developments in the sector.

In this year’s edition, IMHAB was present with a stand dedicated to four aspects: industrialised housing, land mobilisation for social housing, quality and efficiency, and renovation. The stand also featured models of some of the winning projects and an immersive video about the work that IMHAB has been doing for almost 100 years to increase Barcelona’s public housing stock in an efficient and sustainable way.

Exhibition on industrialised housing

In order for citizens to learn more about the industrialised housing model, IMHAB has created a itinerant exhibition that can currently be seen in the lobby of the Escola del Treball of the Escola Industrial until the end of June (Comte d’Urgell street, 187, building 11, from 8 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 10 pm).

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