The German Property Federation (IVD) North is drawing owners’ and property managers’ attention to the statutory obligation to replace lead pipes. From 12 January 2026, drinking-water pipes that contain or come into contact with lead may no longer be operated. The basis is the amended 2023 Drinking Water Ordinance, which provides for a definitive ban on such installations.
The reason is the ban on lead pipes, which becomes binding on 12 January 2026 (Section 17 of the Drinking Water Ordinance). From that date, lead pipes may neither remain in service nor be repaired or used on a transitional basis. The rule affects not only main pipes, but also individual sections, branch pipes and mixed installations. Responsibility for replacement always lies with the property owner.
Older buildings particularly affected
“The issue primarily affects older buildings dating from before 1973,” explains Anika Schönfeldt-Schulz, Chair of IVD North. “Especially in blocks of flats with a mixture of pipe materials, it is important to establish now whether any lead pipes or sections containing lead may still be present.”
The ordinance aims to protect health consistently. Lead can leach from old pipes into drinking water, with potentially harmful consequences, particularly for infants and children. Owners and managers are therefore obliged to inspect the condition of the drinking-water installation, identify possible lead pipes and replace them with suitable materials or take them out of service. Anyone who waits until shortly before the deadline risks not only fines, but also shortages of available contractors and rising costs for work commissioned at short notice.
Timely replacement can prevent consequential costs
Although pipe damage in buildings has not generally become more frequent – the number of claims has remained relatively stable for years – the cost of each incident is rising significantly. The principal reasons are higher material and labour costs as well as more complex renovation requirements. This increases the financial pressure on owners and managers to invest in good time and plan maintenance measures strategically. Replacing lead pipes promptly can therefore prevent not only health risks, but also consequential costs and insurance disputes.
“Our recommendation is clear: inspect, plan and document now,” stresses Carl-Christian Franzen, Deputy Chair of IVD North for Hamburg. “Those who act early avoid unnecessary effort, safeguard water quality and preserve the value of their property.” An assessment by specialist contractors provides certainty, including with regard to duties to produce evidence to authorities or tenants.
The association also advises combining renovation with other maintenance measures where appropriate, such as replacing old pipe insulation or renewing drinking-water fittings. This makes it possible to use synergies and consolidate costs.
Deadline extension? Only in exceptional cases
The energy services provider Techem explains on its website that an extension can be requested only in the following exceptional cases:
- A short extension beyond 12 January 2026 is possible if the operator can demonstrate that it placed an order to remove or decommission the pipes in good time, but the work cannot be completed by the deadline because of capacity constraints.
- A long-term extension, until no later than 12 January 2036, is available only for building water-supply systems or private water-supply systems in which drinking water is used exclusively by the operator’s own household and provided that harm to the health of the consumers concerned is not expected.