Germany’s Bau-Turbo, a policy designed to cut bureaucratic hurdles and accelerate housing construction, has been in force since October 2025. One year on, Building Minister Hubertz says its first completed homes are likely to appear next year. Local authorities can choose whether to use the scheme, and the ministry does not have figures on how many have adopted it.
The policy comes as Germany faces an estimated housing shortage of around one million homes, with affordable accommodation particularly scarce in major urban areas. Only 206,600 homes were completed last year, an 18% drop from the previous year and the lowest total since 2012.
Building permits increased in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Federal Statistical Office. However, it is not known how many of those approvals were accelerated or made possible by the Bau-Turbo.
Permits do not guarantee that homes will be built. Financing remains a barrier, while construction costs have risen amid war, crises and higher interest rates. Hubertz said the government also needs to address those costs more closely.
Sources: Handelsblatt.