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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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Common front with local residents to stop six families losing their homes in El Raval

Common front with local residents to stop six families losing their homes in El Raval

21/09/2020 - 19:53

Housing. The six households will have affordable rents.

A united front with local residents has prevented six families from losing their homes in a building in the neighbourhood of El Raval. The agreement with the owners of the building at C/ Sant Bartomeu, 6, means the affected households will have affordable rents.

The mediation process also helped get the owners to make a commitment to carry out improvements to the flats. This is a key step for accessing the subsidies and incentives offered to owners by the City Council to help keep maintain the city’s housing stock in exchange for offering affordable rents.

In this case, the owners will also cede the use of two empty flats in the same block and rent them out to vulnerable families, with the four remaining flats to be rented out on the free market.

Fighting property speculation

Ciutat Vella is one of the districts affected the most by property speculation in the city. Because of this, in 2019 the City Council embarked on a strategy to tackle situations where local people are at risk of losing their homes in blocks of flats. The strategy entails collective negotiation with the people living in the block, with social entities and the building’s owners.

Two similar mediation processes had already been conducted. The first was with the Blackstone investment fund in relation to the property at C/ Hospital, 99, culminating in July 2019. The second was for the building at C/ Espalter, 6.

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