AmtsGuide

Asbestos removal: costs and funding

Updated:

Funding only with insulation

The federal scheme for efficient buildings covers the building envelope of existing homes. BAFA funds insulation of the envelope, windows, doors and summer heat protection. Asbestos removal counts only when it belongs to such an energy measure.

The information sheet names asbestos removal in demolition work on exterior walls and on roofs. That includes old insulation, roof covering, roofing felt and disposal of hazardous waste. Asbestos removal without a funded energy measure is not eligible on its own.

Apply for the BAFA grant

The grant applies to existing buildings whose building application is at least five years old. The minimum investment is 300 euros gross, and the basic rate is 15 % of eligible costs.

The spending cap is 30,000 euros for the first dwelling. Further dwellings have lower caps on the BAFA building-envelope page.

You file the application with BAFA before the works start. You involve an energy-efficiency expert from the dena list energie-effizienz-experten.de. KfW also runs BEG loans for the renovation of the whole building.

Tax relief for tradespeople

For tradesperson work on renovation, upkeep or modernisation, section 35a Absatz 3 EStG applies. You deduct 20 percent of labour costs from income tax, at most 1,200 euros.

You need an invoice and a transfer to the contractor account. The relief does not apply to the same measure if you take subsidised loans or tax-free grants.

What you clarify first

You first check the records to see whether asbestos is present in the building. Only an authorised specialist firm with the right equipment may carry out asbestos work. The duty to investigate sits in the tip on recognising asbestos.

You then check whether wall or roof insulation is planned. Only then does the BAFA grant for this work come into play. The overview of the works sits on the asbestos-removal topic page.

Official sources

The legal texts and the BAFA page sit in the links below. The search for an energy-efficiency expert sits in the energy-advisor tip.

Open BAFA building envelope →

Open the BEG information sheet on eligible measures →

Open EStG section 35a →

Open KfW BEG renovation →

Open finding an energy advisor →

Open recognising asbestos →

Open asbestos removal →

Open the asbestos-removal topic →