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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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Five Barcelona Housing projects are awarded by the Spanish Association of Housing and Land Public Managers

Five Barcelona Housing projects are awarded by the Spanish Association of Housing and Land Public Managers

12/07/2022 - 14:08

Housing. La Balma and APROP, among the winners for best new construction and best R&D project, respectively

The Spanish Association of Housing and Land Public Managers (AVS) has recognized five Barcelona projects in the latest edition of the AVS Awards. Among them, they are the cooperative housing project on municipal land in La Balma and the promotion of public housing in Bon Pastor, from the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation of Barcelona (IMHAB), awarded both as first prize in the category of best new construction.

The awards were revealed yesterday in Oviedo, in the context of the celebration of the ordinary general assembly of this association. Several regional public entities and public organizations or public sector companies that work in the promotion and management of social housing are part of this association.

In addition, the AVS has also awarded with a second prize in the category of best environmental management for the IMHAB’s ‘Industrialized Housing’ project, which promotes the use of innovative construction systems. Industrialized housing makes it possible to reduce the execution time of the works and is more sustainable, since it fundamentally uses natural or reused materials. In the specifications published for new tenders project and construction of IMHAB’s industrialized housing, the architectural quality, the reduction of construction times, the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with the manufacture of materials represent the 85% of the weight of the score to choose the companies that will carry out these projects.

The AVS has also recognized, with a second prize in the category of best performance about administration and management of the social housing stock, the Agreement with non-profit entities ESAL, a public-community collaboration project to promote 1,000 cooperative homes and rental on municipal land promoted by the IMHAB, Social Housing Managers of Catalonia (GHS), the Federation of Housing Cooperatives of Catalonia (Habicoop), the Solidarity Economy Network (XES) and the Coordinator of Social Housing Foundations ( cohabitation). Likewise, APROP projects have won the second prize for the best R&D&I project in housing and built environment.

 

International recognition

These are not the only awards that affordable housing projects have received. The ESAL Agreement, between Barcelona City Council and third-sector entities, has also been awarded this year by the Housing Europe International Union of Tenants and Delphis association, which has also recognized the projects of Can Fabra (Leaders of innovation, agents of fair energy transition) and of Casa Bloc (Building strategic alliances, fostering community participation).

The housing projects of the Barcelona City Council, such as the Aprop, have also been finalists in the Fad awards (in 2020), and Can Fabra won it in 2021. The Aprop projects were also recognized last year by the New European Bauhaus, in the category of ‘Modular, adaptable and Mobile living solutions’. La Borda cooperative project has also been recognized on several occasions at European level. Thus, in 2019 it also received the European Responsible Housing Award and the World Habitat Award, the same year.

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