An association alliance has issued a warning about the continued decline in the number of completed housing units in Germany. Robert Feiger, head of the trade union IG Bau, told the “Rheinische Post” (Friday edition) that they anticipate the new construction volume this year will plummet to below 200,000 units. This figure is significantly below the societal need of 400,000 apartments per year.
According to the Munich Ifo Institute, 205,000 units were completed last year, which represents a drop of nearly 20 percent. The Federal Statistical Office is scheduled to release the figures for 2025 this Friday.
Given this troubling development, the association alliance is demanding the rapid, legally secure implementation of the building type E standard as the new norm. Furthermore, they require a comprehensive registry of construction starts so that the government can gain a clearer overview of new building activities.
Feiger emphasized that if the Federal Government wishes to remove the brakes on economic growth, it must revitalize affordable housing construction. He pointed out that seven percent of the total economic gross value added and seven percent of jobs are linked to the housing construction industry.
