Doubling of KfW funding for age-appropriate housing from 2024

Most of us want to stay in our familiar homes in old age. To make this possible, various structural measures can be taken to improve accessibility. Measures such as a level-access shower, ground-level door thresholds or stair lifts can make life much easier for older people within their own four walls.

To ensure that your own property still meets your needs in old age, an age-appropriate conversion can help. The Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building is making 75 million euros available for such construction measures in 2023. Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz has now announced a doubling to 150 million euros for 2024.

Doubling of funding from 2024

Anyone thinking about making their home age-appropriate or barrier-free can be put off by the high construction costs. The crises of recent years are still causing construction costs to remain at a high level. Some owners also shy away from such measures because they simply seem too expensive.

From 2024, the funds are to be the promotion of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) for barrier reduction be doubled to 150 million euros. The funding program, which started in July 2022 with 75 million euros in funding, was very popular and the funding was quickly exhausted each time. Despite the increase, it remains to be seen whether the funding is sufficient at all.

Which structural measures for accessibility can be funded?

To enable people in old age and those with physical disabilities to remain in their familiar homes for as long as possible, the federal government provides funding via KfW Bank for measures to make houses and residential property barrier-free and age-appropriate. Such measures include the installation of a level-access shower, the removal of door thresholds or the installation of an elevator. Measures outside the building also include widening paths or reducing steps.

The KfW Bank supports such individual measures with 10 percent of the eligible costs or a maximum of 2,500 euros. If owners decide to bring their property completely up to the "age-appropriate" standard, they can receive 12.5% of the eligible costs or a maximum of EUR 6,250.

When is an age-appropriate conversion worthwhile for owners?

There is no general answer to this question. Above all, it is important to address the issue at an early stage. An expert can guide you through this step and check for you which measures are sensible and feasible for your building. They can also estimate how high the costs would actually be and help you with the subsidies. Converting a property to make it more accessible often increases its value.

Would you like to know how a barrier-free conversion affects the value of your property? Get in touch with us! We will be happy to advise you.

Notes

For reasons of better readability, the generic masculine is used in this text. Female and other gender identities are explicitly included where this is necessary for the statement.

Legal notice: This article does not constitute tax or legal advice in individual cases. Please consult a lawyer and/or tax advisor to clarify the facts of your specific individual case.

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