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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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The City Council is launching an open competition to build three developments with 350 affordable rental homes

The City Council is launching an open competition to build three developments with 350 affordable rental homes

11/12/2024 - 13:12

Housing. Faced with the housing emergency in Barcelona, the City Council is committed to increasing the construction of protected housing and opening up the task to as many operators as possible.

With the aim of increasing the city’s social housing stock and speeding up its construction, Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB), has launched a public tender for three municipal plots in the Marina del Prat Vermell and Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou neighbourhoods. The winning companies will be responsible for the promotion, construction and management of 350 protected housing units for affordable rent.

This new tender is a step forward and an example of the City Council’s firm commitment to guaranteeing the right to decent housing. The measure is part of the principle of co-responsibility promoted by Pla Viure, the new municipal strategic plan that coordinates and optimises housing policies. This roadmap works with and for everyone to guarantee the right to housing, with an approach based on sustainability and the well-being of citizens.

Encouraging operator diversification

The City Council has launched an open competition for private entities, with or without a profit motive, to promote the construction of social housing through public-private collaboration. Proposals will be evaluated according to criteria of social support, architectural quality, sustainability and industrialisation, with priority given to carbon footprint reduction and energy efficiency. There are also plans to set up a social commission between the parties involved to monitor conflicts, late payments or misuse of the housing. Interested organisations have 60 working days to submit their proposals.

The Council will transfer the surface rights of three municipal plots to the successful bidders for a period of 75 years, extendable to 90 years. The land will remain in the ownership of the municipality and at the end of the period, the Council will take back the buildings constructed. Construction is expected to start in 2027.

This strategy of accelerating the construction of housing is in line with other measures, such as the renewal of the ESAL Agreement, which also seeks collaboration between entities, in this case from the third sector, with the aim of increasing affordable rentals in the city.

350 new social housing homes

The new units will be allocated to affordable rental housing, with a maximum price set by the general social housing scheme, currently set at 10.36 euros/m². The allocation will be managed by the Barcelona Housing Consortium, among the people registered in the city’s Social Housing Register.

The developments will be built on two plots of land in the Marina del Prat Vermell neighbourhood, in the Sants-Montjuïc district, and on one plot in the Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou neighbourhood, in the Sant Martí district:

  • Acer Street, 2: 43 flats
  • Ascó Street, 17: 68 flats
  • Llull Street, 355: 240 flats

This ambitious project is part of the Pla Viure and the future Strategic Housing Plan, which aims to coordinate and optimise all municipal housing activities to make them more effective. By 2027, the keys will be handed over to 3,300 social housing homes, another 2,000 will be under construction and the procedures for starting the construction of 10,000 protected housing units on municipal land will have been completed.

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