BERLIN, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The number of construction permits for homes in Germany decreased by 1.9 percent from January to September compared with the same period last year, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced on Wednesday.
The 257,900 construction permits issued by German authorities were valid for new buildings as well as for construction measures on existing buildings, Destatis noted.
Destatis had already recorded a decline in building permits of 2.5 percent and 3.4 percent in October and September. However, the number of approved homes had been at a "high level" since 2016, according to Destatis.
Between January and September, the number of construction permits for single-family homes rose slightly by 0.5 percent, according to Destatis. On the other hand, the number of building permits for two-family houses fell by 1.5 percent.
"We are particularly concerned" about the decline in building permits for apartment buildings, Andreas Ibel, president of the German association of free real estate and housing companies (BFW), told Xinhua on Wednesday.
"The federal government's target of building 375,000 new apartments a year is thus becoming increasingly unattainable," Ibel warned.
For the current legislative period, the German government coalition between CDU/CSU and SPD agreed to a target of 1.5 million new apartments by 2021.
