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.​

Next Generation Funds, key to the renovation of 1.5 million buildings in Catalonia

30/01/2023 - 14:48

Housing. The multiple benefits of these funds, together with the main barriers they present and the role played by local housing offices, were the main themes of the REhabilita technical conference.

Activating energy transformation through the use of Next Generation Funds was the topic of debate at the REhabilita technical conference held on January 24 in Barcelona. An initiative of reference for all the agents involved in the renovation of housing and the construction sector that, this year, had these European funds in the spotlight.  

“We have to take advantage of the European Union’s Next Generation Funds to start working on the 1.5 million homes that need to be remodeled in Catalonia,” said the president of the Association of Technical Architecture of Barcelona (Cateb), Celestí Ventura. According to Ventura, the funds represent an “unbeatable opportunity both for the population, who will be able to enjoy a better quality of life and greater comfort, and for companies, to specialize in a growing subsector, and for society, by cutting energy consumption and preserving cultural heritage”.

The event, promoted by Cateb together with the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, the Provincial Council, and other representatives, included a discussion panel made up of seven speakers such as the director of Building Quality and Housing Renovation, Jordi Sanuy; the director of the Next Generation European Funds program, Elsa Ibar; the head of IMHAB’s Renovation Promotion Department, Ana Rigalt; the coordinator of the Processes and Operations Area, Jordi Amela; the technical architect and coordinator of the Renovation Technical Office, Eva Bonet; the coordinator of the Renovation Technical Office, Marta Martínez; and the coordinator of the Renovation Technical Office area, Victor Forns.

All of them emphasized the challenges and opportunities that they detect and that they have to manage, in their day-to-day work, in the local housing and renovation offices, as the bodies in charge of informing interested citizens and processing the available and active aid. 

In this sense, there was a broad consensus in pointing out the existing barriers, such as the great complexity of managing the funds, the difficulties in mediating with all the owners and end users of the buildings, and in being able to attract them economically and make them aware of the importance of starting these energy renovation projects.

Challenges that require consensual and effective responses, more teamwork between technicians and other professionals and an effort to intensify outreach among potential communities that can take advantage of subsidies. In addition, as Marta Martínez pointed out, the funds must be used because “no one is left behind and to reach the sectors with the least possibilities of financing, which are the ones with the greatest need”.

A firm commitment

Several organizations, such as the Barcelona City Council, have made a firm commitment to the intervention and improvement of buildings throughout the city, as a solution to the emerging need for housing available on the part of citizens. A renovation should be done with criteria focused on sustainability and environmental awareness and the same citizens and neighborhood communities. All these aspects were discussed in depth in the latest edition of the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum (FHAR), on a second day in which different experts analyzed the impact of this commitment, the prospects and the shortcomings to be resolved in the short and medium term.