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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.​

The first stone is placed for a new public housing development with industrialised construction

19/12/2022 - 13:58

Housing. The new development, located at Lola Iturbe Arizcuren St. in the Sant Martí district, will consist of 40 public rental housing units.

The Barcelona City Council has officially kicked off the new public housing development carried out through industrialised construction, which is located in Lola Iturbe Arizcuren Street, in the district of Sant Martí. A start-up for a development that will consist of 40 public rental housing units and premises for a future facility, and the construction works for which began at the end of last November, with the completion date scheduled for the first quarter of 2024.

The project, by architects Vicente Guallart and Daniel Ibáñez, is part of the Barcelona City Council’s commitment to the use of industrialised construction, a more innovative, cheaper, faster and more ecological technique that is gradually being implemented in new social housing developments in the city.

To see firsthand what this development will look like, we invite you to enjoy the 3D tour created for the occasion, where you can discover the interiors of the house.

Access the tour through this link!

In the case of the building on Lola Iturbe Arizcuren St., it will consist of a ground floor and eight more floors, as well as a flat roof floor where the solar greenhouse for food self-production is located. It also stands out for its energy efficiency, rated A, which will have cross ventilation. In addition, the choice of low environmental impact materials, such as rock wool on the facades, as well as a laminated wood structure, is also relevant. In addition to the solar greenhouse, the terraces of the building will be planted with vegetation, as will the roof.

Another highlight of this development is the fact that it has been tendered with a project and work typology, which means that the construction company and the team of architects will work together from the very beginning, thus, shortening the completion time of the building.

The official start of the project was marked by a ceremony, held at the same site where the building will be erected, where the first stone was symbolically laid, and which was led by the Councilor for Housing and Rehabilitation of the Barcelona City Council, Lucía Martín, as well as the manager of the Municipal Institute for Housing and Rehabilitation of Barcelona (IMHAB), Gerard Capó.

A district in full housing development

In addition to this one of Lola Iturbe Arizcuren St., Sant Martí has three more projects already underway, a fact that makes this district a reference for industrialized construction in the city, as well as public housing promotion. In this sense, from 2015 to the present day, 526 housing units and 20 temporary housing units have been completed in this district alone, while 287 housing units and 57 housing units are currently under construction, in addition to 206 housing units planned to be erected.

In added to the construction of new buildings, the Barcelona City Council has and applies other mechanisms to expand the public housing stock, such as the purchase and mobilization of housing from the private market for social rental. And, in this regard, from June 2015 to this October, they account for a total of 1,367 homes, from the sum of 240 homes purchased individually and 946 homes from 44 entire estates acquired.