France’s New Housing Recovery Remains Fragile

France’s New Housing Recovery Remains Fragile

FRANCE: France’s new housing market showed mixed signals in July 2026, with housing starts rising while building permits edged down. Housing starts increased 8.9% month-on-month to 27,677 units, supported by an 11% rise in collective housing. However, permits fell 2.5% to 29,577 units. Over the past 12 months, 370,700 homes were authorised, 9.5% below the five-year average, while starts remained 11.8% lower. Demand also weakened, with individual bookings for new homes falling 4.8% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2026. Despite some improvement in construction activity, subdued demand and declining sales continue to highlight the fragile nature of the recovery.

Source: Zepros