An activity cycle to stand up for housing rights movements

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.

Democratic memory. The main activities in the cycle include the installation of plaques and information panels, routes and itineraries, debates, exhibitions, community art displays, murals and the publication of works.

‘Memory of housing struggles in Barcelona’ is an activity programme about this basic right and the historical struggles to defend it. The cycle will run from June until next year. The Councillor’s Office for Democratic Memory has been tasked with implementing the programme with the support of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the city’s district memory boards and the Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA).

The programme ‘Memory of housing struggles in Barcelona’ is already under way and aims to study and help the public engage with the legacy left by people and movements, particularly women, who have made a stand for this right in the city.

The year-long activity programme runs from June 2021 to June 2022 and will see plaques and information panels installed in iconic spots in the city, with routes and itineraries, round tables, exhibitions and community art displays, collaborative murals and various works also to be published.

The first activity was on Tuesday 29 June, with a presentation of the programme at the MUHBA – Oliva Artés and some discussion tables. The presentation and closing words came from the Councillor for Democratic Memory, Jordi Rebassa, with a welcome speech also given by the MUHBA director Joan Roca.

One of the topics addressed was the first big documented strike by tenants in Barcelona in 1931, which, coinciding with the 90^th anniversary of this historical event, provides the starting point for the programme.

Full information on the cycle at https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/memoriademocratica/ca/programa/memoriahabitatge/