The City Council and Hàbitat 3 acquire the Casa Orsola

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.

Housing. The City Council will acquire 49% of the building, with the Fundació Hàbitat3 to acquire 51%.

The City Council and Hàbitat 3 jointly acquire the Casa Orsola to halt the eviction processes and convert the homes into protected housing. Hàbitat 3 will assume 51% of the building and manage the 26 flats according to social criteria and applying social rents. The cost of the acquisition is 9.2 million euros, around 30% lower than the current market price in the neighbourhood of district of Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample.

The operation is a social and collaborative acquisition promoted by Hàbitat 3, where Barcelona City Council will acquire 49% of the building and the organisation 51%. This joint formula allows the purchase to be made with a lower municipal investment, regaining the homes for residential use with affordable rents.

Located in the district of L’Eixample, the Casa Orsola has 26 homes and 4 commercial premises. The building currently consists of 7 flats with indefinite rental contracts, 7 seasonal lets, 5 flats with valid contracts, 5 subject to a legal process and 2 empty homes. Once the seasonal contracts end, 9 flats can be added to the city’s public housing stock.

The acquisition was possible thanks to the mediation of the Ombudsman to establish a dialogue and reach a satisfactory agreement for all parties involved.

Boost to the Pla Viure to guarantee affordable housing

Barcelona City Council launched the Pla Viure as a comprehensive long-term strategy to guarantee the right to decent and affordable housing. The initiative includes a set of measures to consolidate access to housing and speed up the construction of the city’s protected housing stock.

Up to 3,300 publicly owned homes are expected to be made available during the current term of office, with a further 5,000 in various stages of execution and land available to build another 10,000, consolidating available housing in the city.

Barcelona has been a pioneer in several measures to improve access to housing, such as declaring the tense housing area, the regulation of rents and the end of licences for tourist lets, which should regain 10,001 flats for residential use at the end of 2028. The city also backs diversification and collaboration with other administrations and organisations to increase the production of protected housing, such as the construction of 600 flats with protected rents through agreements with the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan Land Institute and other projects that will add nearly 3,500 homes.