Terrassa Earmarks €100,000 for Accessibility and €900,000 for Public Housing

Terrassa City Council and the PSC municipal group have formalised an agreement within the framework of the extraordinary municipal plenary session of 3 November 2026 to process the 2027 General Budget. The political pact between the local government (Tot per Terrassa and Junts) and the socialists reserves €900,000 directly for municipal property purchases and adds €100,000 to the local aid scheme for accessibility in residential properties.

What's Changing

The agreement modifies strategic budget items aimed at both the public housing stock and the rehabilitation of existing buildings in the municipality:

• Accessibility in homeowners' associations: The overall budget for accessibility works increases from €190,000 to €290,000 for the 2027 financial year, thanks to an additional injection of €100,000. These are non-competitive local grants aimed at financing the installation of ground-level lifts, the construction of ramps, and the elimination of architectural barriers in communal access areas.
• Public acquisition of properties: The municipal fund for the direct purchase of properties increases from €800,000 to €900,000. These funds will be channelled through the Societat Municipal d’Habitatge de Terrassa, prioritising the exercise of the right of first refusal and redemption on properties resulting from mortgage foreclosures or financial institutions to replenish the social rental housing pool.
• 95% IBI discount: A 95% reduction in the local property tax (IBI) for those private owners who transfer unoccupied properties to the municipal Social Rental Mediation Pool is included.
• Public development and management: It is agreed to initiate technical work to build approximately 25 social housing properties (VPO) in Rambla de Sant Nebridi and to hire additional technical staff to speed up licenses and the Local Rehabilitation Office.

Who is Affected

This measure directly impacts three profiles within the municipality:

1. Homeowners' associations: Especially multi-family properties built between the 1960s and 1980s in districts with uneven terrain or without lifts, where elderly people or those with reduced mobility reside and need to adapt entrance halls and access points.
2. Owners of empty properties: Landlords seeking payment stability and an almost total reduction in their local property tax (IBI) by temporarily assigning the property to the municipal social mediation programme.
3. Families seeking social housing: Those registered in Terrassa's public housing applicant registry, as the rotation of properties acquired by the council is expanding.

What This Means If You Own a Property in Vallès

The universal accessibility requirements set out in the Catalan Accessibility Code (Decree 209/2023) mandate adapting routes and eliminating steps in the access points of residential buildings. The cost of these works often results in high additional charges which complicate agreement at residents' meetings.

To understand the impact of these grants, let's examine an illustrative example: a homeowners' association of 12 residents in Terrassa budgets for the installation of a lifting platform and adaptation of the entrance hall at €24,000. Without aid, the average additional charge would amount to €2,000 per property. If the homeowners' association applies to the municipal scheme and obtains a grant of €8,000 (one-third of the eligible budget), the total outlay decreases to €16,000, reducing the individual cost to approximately €1,333 per owner.

What to Do Now

• Verify technical feasibility in your homeowners' association: If your property has steps at the entrance or lacks a lift, the president or the registered property administrator must commission a valuation report or project from a competent technician.
• Approve the action at a homeowners' meeting: In Catalonia, according to the Catalan Civil Code, works aimed at eliminating architectural barriers are mandatory if requested by a person with a disability or over 70 years old, within the limits and majorities foreseen by the regulations.
• Prepare administrative documentation: Gather the Building's Book, the Technical Building Inspection (ITE) if the property is over 45 years old, and the community agreement before the application period opens.

What's Still Unknown

The political pact guarantees the 2027 budget inclusion announced by Terrassa City Council, but the specific eligibility requirements, maximum limits per property, and exact registration dates will be known once the regulatory bases for the call are approved and published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona (BOPB).