The construction of 19,300 homes was approved in Germany in August 2025. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this was 5.7 per cent or 1,000 building permits more than in August 2024. The number of approved homes in new buildings rose by 5.2 per cent or 800 to 15,800. The number of homes approved through the conversion of existing buildings increased by 8.0 per cent or 300 compared with the same month of the previous year, reaching 3,500.
January to August 2025: upward trend in detached houses continues
Between January and August 2025, the construction of 151,200 homes in new and existing buildings was approved across Germany. This was 6.5 per cent or 9,300 homes more than between January and August 2024.
A total of 122,000 homes in new residential buildings were approved between January and August 2025, 7.6 per cent or 8,600 new homes more than in the same period of the previous year. The number of building permits for detached houses rose by 15.5 per cent (+3,900) to 29,300. The number of approved homes in semi-detached houses fell by 5.3 per cent (-500) to 8,200. In blocks of flats, the largest building category by number, building control authorities approved 79,100 new homes. This was an increase of 4.9 per cent (+3,700) compared with the same period of the previous year. A total of 2,800 homes, such as caretaker flats, were approved in new non-residential buildings between January and August 2025 (-18.5 %; -600).
A total of 26,400 homes were approved as conversion work in existing residential and non-residential buildings between January and August 2025, 5.2 per cent or 1,300 more than in the same period of 2024.
GdW calls for a housing “fast lane”
The Federation of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW) is calling for further-reaching structural reforms to achieve significantly greater speed, certainty in planning and economic viability in housing construction. Housing needs a genuine “fast lane”, with a legally enshrined priority in the balancing of interests in favour of housing construction. What has long been taken for granted for wind turbines must also apply to affordable housing. At a time of severe shortage, priority must be given to what people urgently need: a roof over their heads.
The current funding system also needs to be adjusted urgently. “Federal funding must finally focus on economic viability and simple standards instead of expensive icing on the cake. We need affordable staple fare rather than excessive climate standards, so that the homes ultimately built are affordable to ordinary earners,” says Axel Gedaschko, President of the GdW Federation of German Housing and Real Estate Companies.