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Ministry Of Development: Housing Permits Rise By 42%

1 July 2016 – El Economista

The number of permits granted by the College of Technical Architects for the construction of homes shot up by 42% during the first four months of the year to 21,577, the best figure recorded between January and April since 2011, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Development.

Despite the increase, the number of housing permits granted still falls well below the maximum levels recorded in 2007, when at the height of the real estate boom, 276,588 permits were granted during the first four months of the year, 92% more than in 2016.

The number of permits granted started the year with an increase of 44%, at 4,943. In February, the YoY rise amounted to 35%, with 5,663 permits; meanwhile, in March, the number doubled to 6,176 and in April the increase moderated to 6.5%, with 4,795 permits.

In total, the number of permits granted for new builds, renovations and extensions during the four months to April stood at 30,236, which represents an increase of 27.6% with respect to 2015.

By type of property, permits to construct housing blocks rose by 45%, to 15,843 licences, whilst permits for family homes grew by 34%, to 5,730. In terms of surface area, the average size of family homes stood at 201 sqm, whilst the average size of apartments was 117 sqm.

Since the Ministry of Development began compiling these statistics in 1991, the number of permits granted reached its historical monthly low in August 2013, when just 1,585 licences were granted. The series maximum was recorded in September 2006 with the granting of 126,753 permits.

Original story: El Economista

Translation: Carmel Drake

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