Glossary

Renting out, term by term

Every word here appears in a real Barcelona lease, deposit registration or handover report, and every one of them is something an owner is on the hook for. One term per page: what it means, what it obliges you to do, and what it costs to get wrong.

Cédula de habitabilidad

certificate of occupancy

The cédula de habitabilidad is the Catalan certificate stating that a dwelling meets the minimum conditions to be lived in. In Catalonia it is required to rent a home out, and it is issued for a limited period, after which it has to be renewed.

Zona de mercado residencial tensionado

designated stressed rental area

A zona de mercado residencial tensionado is an area an autonomous community has formally declared as having a strained rental market. Inside one, the rent for a new lease is capped — as a rule by reference to the previous contract on the same home, or by an official index for large landlords.

Fianza

rental deposit

The fianza is the security deposit Spanish law requires at the start of a tenancy: one month's rent for a residential lease, two months for any other use. It is not income — it is money held against unpaid rent or damage, and it goes back to the tenant when the tenancy ends.

INCASÒL

Institut Català del Sòl — where Catalan deposits are registered

INCASÒL, the Institut Català del Sòl, is the public body that holds rental deposits in Catalonia. The landlord — not the tenant — must lodge the fianza there within two months of the contract being signed, and reclaims it from INCASÒL when the tenancy ends.

Inventario / acta de entrega

check-in inventory and handover report

The inventario is the record of what was in the flat and what condition it was in on the day the tenant moved in. The acta de entrega is the equivalent for the day the keys come back — signed by both sides, ideally with photos and meter readings.

Desgaste por uso ordinario

fair wear and tear

Desgaste por uso ordinario is the deterioration that comes from living in a flat normally — faded paint, worn floor finish, tired seals. The LAU makes the owner responsible for keeping the home habitable, while small repairs arising from ordinary use fall to the tenant.

Desistimiento

the tenant ending the lease early

Desistimiento is the tenant's right to walk away from a residential lease before its term is up. Under the LAU they may do this once at least six months have passed, giving you at least 30 days' written notice.

Suministros

utilities: alta, baja and cambio de titular

Suministros are the utility supplies to a flat — electricity, water, gas, internet. Three words govern what happens to them: alta (starting a supply), baja (cancelling it) and cambio de titular (transferring the contract to someone else's name).

LAU

Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos — Spain's Urban Leases Act

The LAU — Ley 29/1994 de Arrendamientos Urbanos — is the national law governing residential and commercial leases in Spain. It sets the framework your contract sits inside: deposit, duration and renewal, repair obligations, notice, and how a tenancy ends.