France housing permits 377,834 in 12 months to September 2026
France authorised 377,834 dwellings in the 12 months to September 2026, 9.1% below the five-year average, with 31,428 permits granted in September alone.
The facts
- Dwellings authorised in the 12 months to September 2026 totalled 377,834, which the statistics service of France's ecological transition ministry puts 9.1% below the average of the previous five years, in figures published on 28 October 2026.
- September alone brought 31,428 authorisations, up 1.2% on August after adjustment for seasonal and working-day effects.
- Monthly authorisations moved -0.8% in July, +2.1% in August and +1.2% in September.
- Dwellings started in September are estimated at 28,682.
What it means for your money
- Three monthly gains have not closed a 9.1% shortfall against the five-year norm. New-build stock stays scarce.
- Glopra data puts France at 3,642 USD per square metre on a gross yield of 4.83%, with prices 0.1% higher over a year, so a constrained pipeline has not yet shown up as price growth.
- Measured in dollars, French prices are 3.5% lower over the same year in Glopra data, which moves the return for anyone funding a purchase from outside the euro area.
- An owner already holding French property faces less new-build competition on resale, while the 9.1% gap marks the segment developers have stepped away from.
What to watch
- The statistics service publishes October figures at the end of November, and the September starts number is an estimate that gets revised.
- The gap between 31,428 monthly authorisations and 28,682 starts measures how many permits turn into building work rather than lapsing.
- Authorisations measure permits, not completions, and the two series diverge when developers delay projects.
Sources: Service des donnees et etudes statistiques https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/construction-de-logements-resultats-fin-septembre-2026-france-entiere