Building approvals have fallen back from record high levels in April, as the volatile number of apartments approved dived in the month, official data shows.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed the number of buildings approved fell a seasonally adjusted 4.4 per cent to 18,715 in April.
The result exceeds forecasts by economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who predicted a 1.8 per cent fall in approvals during the month.
The figures fall away from March's high-water mark of 19,419 approvals, which itself was an increase on January's previous record, after a marked reduction in apartment approvals.
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April's fall in approvals was driven by a sharp decrease in 'other dwellings', which includes apartment blocks and townhouses, a very volatile figure, representing the bulk approval rate for apartment towers.
The figure slumped 15 per cent, in seasonally adjusted terms, during the month.
The number of approved houses, meanwhile, lifted a seasonally adjusted 4.7 per cent in the month, to 10,130.
Over the 12 months to April, total building approvals were up 16.3 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis, the ABS said.
Over the same period apartment approvals have surged 27.5 per cent, while approvals for private sector houses have risen 9.1 per cent.
In trend terms, which strips out month-to-month volatility, housing approvals dropped 0.4 per cent in April but have still increased 16.5 per cent over the year.
April is the first time dwelling approvals, in trend terms, have fallen after ten straight months of gains.