1st half of 2013 sees 9.6% more housing permits in Germany

Building permits for a total of 124 900 housing units were issued in Germany between January and June 2013. That was 9.6%, or 10 900 units, more than in the first half of 2012. It also means that the positive trend regarding building permits for residential units is marching on.

The number of permits issued for residential buildings per se during the first half of 2013 came to 110 600, or 10.8% more than in the previous year. The number of permits issued for units in multi-family buildings (+21.7%) and two-family homes (+13.9%) increased most markedly, while the number of permits for single-family homes rose just marginally (+1.5%).

Compared to the same period a year before, the cumulative net building volume covered by permits issued for non-residential buildings in the first half of 2013 declined by 10.2% to 92.9 million m³. This is largely attributable to a reduced number of building permits for private builders/owners (-13.1%). By contrast, permits for public-sector constructors jumped by 30.2%. In terms of building type, there was a big comparative downturn in permits for hotels and restaurants (-31.4%) as well as for factories and workshops (-23.4%).