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.​

‘Rehabilita’ renovation week to be held from 27 September to 1 October

14/09/2021 - 14:58

Housing. This year’s edition centres on the Next Generation funds and promoting renovation in the post-Covid recovery.

The Barcelona Association of Architectural Engineers (CAATEEB), together with the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and other professional associations, organisation and companies in the building sector, are organising the Rehabilita renovation week from 27 September to 1 October. The event has the goal of promoting the culture of building maintenance. This year’s edition centres on the role of renovation in the post-Covid economic recovery and the impact of the Next Generation funding from the EU. You can find all the information and sign up here.

The chair of the CAATEEB , Celestí Ventura, explains that maintenance culture has been lacking in Catalonia, noting “we need to fight the sensation in our country that buildings are forever and that once they are purchased there’s no need to do anything to them”. Only 12% of residential buildings in Catalonia over 45 years old are in good repair and some 60% were built before 1980, which is when insulation started being introduced. All this makes them poor on energy efficiency. According to data from the Catalan Energy Institute, improving their energy rating could represent a saving of 89%. Renovation also plays a key role in increasing energy efficiency, Because of this, “the European Union is placing great emphasis on renovation as a way of combatting climate change and the recovery from the economic crisis, with a significant part of the Next Generation funds set aside for this”, explains Ventura.

Renovation Week will be offering activities for professionals in this sector, with technical talks, workshops and site visits aimed at building professionals, and a fair with renovation companies and organisations displaying construction solutions in this sector. Discussion will address the opportunities opened up thanks to the Next Generation funding, in a session where the different public administrations will outline their strategy for implementing policies aimed at recovery, transformation and resilience, as well as the use of new technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) for energy renovation.

Missió Rehabilita, a programme to promote renovation

Renovation Week also aims to promote the importance of proper building maintenance. To this end the event is launching Missió Rehabilita, a special programme by the El Terrat audio-visual production company and presented by Cristina Puig, which can be seen on YouTube. Personalities from various spheres, such as Lídia Heredia, Francesc Mauri and Tian Riba, will be talking about the benefits of renovation. Questions from members of the public will also be addressed to sectoral professionals to offer guidance and advice on how to improve home maintenance. Renovation Week also includes other activities for the general public, such as workshops at schools and visits in neighbourhoods. For full information go to the website.