German ministers unveil draft law to cut building costs by dropping optional standards
Builders would find it easier to skip comfort standards not required by law. The ministries expect costs to fall 10% to 15%; the rules could take effect in mid-2027 at the earliest.
Symbolic image · Photo: Spielvogel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig and Construction Minister Verena Hubertz, both Social Democrats, are presenting a draft law on Monday aimed at making construction simpler and cheaper. Changes to construction contract law would make it easier to deviate from standards not required by law, such as impact sound insulation in single-family homes, ceiling heights or heated towel rails in bathrooms. All parties would have to agree; otherwise existing rules apply. Fire safety, structural safety, ventilation and lighting are excluded.
The ministries say evaluated pilot projects show construction costs could fall by 10% to 15%. "Every euro we don't put into superfluous standards is a euro for more affordable housing," Hubertz said, according to dpa. Germany is short of several hundred thousand homes. Permits were issued for 169,400 homes from January to August, up just over 12% from a year earlier, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
The draft has not yet been agreed within the government, and states and industry groups can now comment. A Cabinet decision and deliberations in both houses of parliament would follow, with the rules taking effect in mid-2027 at the earliest. The so-called building type E concept dates back to the previous three-party coalition.