{
  "id": 3473407,
  "title": "Immobilienmarkt: Studie: Krise am Wohnungsbau drückt Wirtschaftswachstum",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/immobilienmarkt-studie-krise-am-wohnungsbau-druckt-wirtschaftswachstum",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-26T08:35:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/immobilienmarkt-studie-krise-am-wohnungsbau-drueckt-wirtschaftswachstum/100249799.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "A recent study reveals that the decline in the housing market between 2023 and 2025 has significantly hampered Germany's overall economic growth. During 2025, approximately 84,600 fewer apartments were constructed compared to two years prior, according to the so-called Bau-Monitor 2026. This resulted in a net loss of around 26.9 billion euros in construction revenues over two years, which led to a 0.6 percentage point decrease in the Gross Domestic Product. Tax revenues were also lower by about seven billion euros. The Pestel-Institute, which created the Bau-Monitor for the Federal Association of German Building Material Retailers, used \"stable construction activity\" as the benchmark for their calculations. This means they calculated what would have happened if around 300,000 apartments had been built in 2025, like in the preceding years. However, according to the Federal Statistical Office, only 206,600 apartments were completed last year. Matthias Günther, head of the Pestel Institute, stated that \"economic growth only functions with more housing construction.\" The shortage is also turning into a labor shortage, as affordable housing is hard to find, especially in economically strong regions. Günther explained that in places where affordable housing is lacking, it's difficult to fill newly available job positions. The study showed that Berlin alone lacks at least 58,000 apartments, Hamburg 23,000, North Rhine-Westphalia 364,000, Bavaria 220,000, and Baden-Württemberg 201,000. Günther emphasized that \"people don't move to a new job location if they can't find an affordable home there.\" This also contributes to economic losses. The construction industry sees a black outlook, even though there was an upward trend in building permits recently. According to the Federal Statistical Office, building permits rose by 15.1 percent in the first six months of this year to 126,300 units. Despite this, the industry expects a significant hit for the current year. \"The collapse in housing construction is fatal,\" said Katharina Metzger, president of the Building Material Retailers' Association. \"We expect another huge blow in 2026: only 185,000 new apartment buildings, according to the forecast.\" The federal government proposed reducing funding for housing construction by 1.4 billion euros in this situation, but only 2 billion euros would be available. The association demanded, however, a reliable and continuous funding. Instead, they called for the rapid implementation of the announced E building type with simplified construction standards, allowing multi-family houses with up to twelve units to be built without a separate building permit, as long as the builder adheres to the respective building plan.",
  "summary": "Im vergangenen Jahr wurden laut „Bau-Monitor“ fast 85.000 Wohnungen weniger gebaut als 2023. Mit Folgen für die gesamte Wirtschaft.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Bau-Monitor: Krise am Wohnungsbau lässt Wirtschaftsleistung um 0,6 Prozentpunkte fallen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/bau-monitor-krise-am-wohnungsbau-lasst-wirtschaftsleistung-um-0-6",
        "published": "2026-08-26T09:19:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}