Overview
- The Ifo residential construction climate index climbed to −21.8 in September from −26.4, the best reading since August 2022.
- Despite the uptick, the share of firms citing insufficient orders increased to 46.7 percent, while reported cancellations stayed elevated at 8.4 percent.
- Building permits reached 151,200 dwellings in January–August 2025, up 6.5 percent or 9,300 units from a year earlier, official data show.
- Lawmakers approved the temporary ‘Bau‑Turbo’ to cut municipal approval times from roughly five years to about three months, with the measure running until end‑2030.
- Ifo’s Klaus Wohlrabe cautioned the sector has not turned the corner, IMK’s Sebastian Dullien sees permits feeding through with a delay, and the ZDB warns financing costs and limited subsidies still weigh on builders.