Lower Saxony buys occupancy rights in unbound stock rather than only funding construction. Two parallel lines: Erwerb of new bindings, and Verlängerung of ones about to expire.
- Applicant: owners of ungebundene Mietwohnungen — any owner, so a group entity that already holds a building qualifies.
- Grant, non-repayable, per m² of Wohnfläche per month of the binding: €2.00 for a binding of at least 5 years, €2.50 for at least 10 years, €3.00 for 15 to 20 years. Longer commitment, higher rate.
- Binding: minimum 5, maximum 20 years, secured by a Grunddienstbarkeit in the Grundbuch.
- Who the flats then go to: Einkommensgruppe A households on low incomes, with priority for those in housing difficulty.
- Paid in two halves: 50 % once the flats are properly let to eligible households, the rest once the binding period is half over.
- Apply to the local Wohnraumförderstelle (Landkreis, Stadt, Gemeinde), as with every Niedersachsen line.
- For a group: this is grant money, not debt, and it does not require building anything. A co-op or e.V. holding unbound stock can convert part of it into permanently affordable, subsidised housing and take the cash.
Related
- niedersachsen-wohnraumfoerderung — the frame and income groups
- niedersachsen-nbank-mietwohnraum — the construction line
- niedersachsen-nbank-modernisierung-mietwohnungen — combine with works
- belegungsbindung — what the Grunddienstbarkeit actually binds
- bremen-bindungsankauf — Bremen’s equivalent, priced per unit per year instead
- eg-cooperative — a co-op self-binding its stock
- wohngemeinnuetzigkeit — the permanent-affordability question in the background
Detail
- Open question (not a fact): the rent cap that applies during a purchased binding was not stated on the NBank page on 2026-09-10 — only the target income group. Ask the Wohnraumförderstelle what Mietobergrenze the Bewilligung sets before pricing the trade.
- The Verlängerung line is the one to watch as 1990s-era Bindungen expire; extending is usually cheaper for the state and for the owner than new construction.