Cabinet decision
The federal government wants to make building easier
Certain deviations from non-safety-relevant construction standards should be permitted in the future. The government hopes this will help people who can only afford a plain building.
In order to stimulate housing construction, the rules for the construction of residential buildings should be streamlined. This is provided for in a draft law that the Federal Cabinet has passed, according to information from government circles. The so-called Building Type E Act is intended to make it easier to forego compliance with so-called comfort standards in new buildings that are not relevant to the safety of the building – such as fire protection or statics. This can affect the height of the room, the sound insulation, the number of sockets in the living room, the type of windows or the question of what standard indoor temperature is reached in a bathroom.
In the future, a building contractor should only be contractually obliged to comply with these standards if this was expressly agreed in the construction contract. If a construction contract is not concluded between two companies, but between a building contractor and private individuals, then the clients must be expressly informed of which deviations from so-called comfort standards are planned. The planned change in the law should not only affect new buildings, but also renovations.
The term “Building Type E” stands for both simple construction and experimental construction. Architects are currently complaining about legal uncertainties when they want to use innovative construction methods and building materials. According to German construction contract law, a building must generally be constructed in accordance with the “recognized rules of technology”. However, these also include some standards that go beyond the minimum standards, have no influence on safety issues and are not required by law.
Vonovia boss: “Walled in rules and laws”
The CEO of the Vonovia housing group, Rolf Buch, complained at a real estate trade fair in October: “We have walled ourselves in with rules and laws.” The federal, state and local governments would have to address this. The President of the Construction Industry Association, Peter Hübner, criticized the “high standards and over-regulation” and called for a change in mentality: “Construction must be cheaper again.”
“Building in Germany is too expensive,” says Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, whose house developed the template. This is a major reason for the housing shortage in many metropolitan areas. In the future, every builder should have the opportunity to choose the standard of living that suits their wishes and their own wallet. The Federal Ministry of Justice assumes that the planned reform would have potential savings of more than eight billion euros per year.
dpa
Source: Stern
