Overview
- Official data show 24,400 housing approvals in September 2025, up 59.8% year over year, with January–September permits rising 11.7% to 175,600.
- New construction led the gains year to date: approvals for newly built residential units rose 14.2% to 142,600, including +17.4% for single-family homes and +13.0% for multifamily, while two-family homes fell 2.8%.
- Destatis notes a base effect, as September 2024 recorded the lowest monthly total since January 2012.
- The Ifo survey reports continuing weakness in the sector: the October residential construction climate index slipped to -23.0, with 44.4% of firms citing too few orders and cancellations at 8.0%.
- The federal government promotes a four-point plan featuring bureaucracy cuts, a new “Gebäudetyp E,” digital permitting, and funding of €23.5 billion for social housing plus €11 billion from a special fund.