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.​

  1. Home
  2. Latest news
  3. Record growth in the public housing stock in 2021

Record growth in the public housing stock in 2021

Record growth in the public housing stock in 2021

30/12/2021 - 12:32

Housing. This year saw the City Council purchase 13 whole buildings and some individual flats, between them adding an overall total of 382 new homes.

Acquisitions by the Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation added a further 382 homes in 2021. Of these, 369 belong to entire buildings in areas where there is particular tension in housing, such as L’Eixample and Gràcia. The overall investment made this year was nearly 60 million euros.

The last year has seen the City Council step up its use of the right to first refusal, giving it preference in the acquisition of properties. The exercise of this right is used to halt speculative purchase processes, at the same time adding affordable housing to the city’s stock, particularly in more central neighbourhoods where price hikes in rents hit people hard and where it is more difficult to build new public housing due to the poor availability of sites.

Specifically, this year’s acquisitions were:

  • In L’Eixample, five properties with 99 homes in all:
    Carrer de Calàbria. La Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample. 14 homes.
    Carrer de Floridablanca. Sant Antoni. 18 homes.
    Carrer de Borrell. Sant Antoni. 12 homes.
    Carrer de Balmes. La Dreta de l’Eixample. 23 homes.
    Carrer de la Diputació. La Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample. 32 homes.
  • In Sants-Montjuïc:
    Carrer de Fonthonrada. El Poble-sec. 11 homes.
  • In Gràcia: two properties of 17 homes.
    Carrer de Camprodon. Vila de Gràcia. 6 homes.
    Carrer del Torrent de les Flors. Vila de Gràcia. 11 homes.
  • In Horta-Guinardó:
    Carrer de Mont-ral and Carrer de Letamendi. Horta. 38 homes.
  • A Nou Barris:
    Carrer d’Escolapi Càncer. Torre Baró. Four properties with 198 homes.

Besides these properties, a further 13 empty homes were purchased individually in different points around the city: two in El Raval, one in Sants, one in Porta, one in Turó de la Peira, one in Les Roquetes, one in La Prosperitat, one in Trintat Nova, four in Ciutat Meridiana in Nou Barris and one in El Besòs i el Maresme, in Sant Martí.

Municipal investment here was 59.89 million euros in all, or 156,000 euros per flat on average. This includes the estimated renovation costs for each property, plus below-market sales prices between 18% and 39% lower than the current market price.

Related links