Apply for housing allowance
Description
You can receive housing benefit as a tenant (so-called rent subsidy) or as an owner for owner-occupied housing (so-called burden subsidy).
Whether and how much housing benefit you receive depends on how high your income is and how high your rent or your monthly burden is in the case of home ownership. How many people live in your household also plays a role.
If your financial situation or your living conditions have worsened during the
If your financial situation or living conditions have worsened during the grant period, you can apply for an increase in housing benefit at any time.
You must notify the housing allowance authority of any changes without delay.
This also applies to changes that may lead to a reduction in the housing allowance.
The amount of the housing allowance may vary from region to region. Rent or charges are eligible only up to certain maximum amounts. The maximum amounts depend on the local rent level, the so-called rent levels.
Whether you are eligible for housing assistance, and if so, how much, depends on several factors:
- Amount of your income
- Amount of your rent or your burden
- Number of household members and their income
Total income
Total income is the sum of the annual incomes of all persons living in the household. Certain amounts and deductions for alimony may be deducted from this total.
Rent amount/monthly burden in case of ownership
The rent taken into account is the rent agreed in the rental contract.
Burden in the case of owners are the expenses for the debt service and the management of the property.
The gross cold rent is taken into account when examining your claim. The rent does not include, for example
- heating costs and
- costs for hot water
- Allowances for the use of a garage or parking space for motor vehicles
- Allowances for general support services, such as the
- Arrangement of nursing or care services,
- services of domestic care
- Emergency call services
Income of household members
Household members are persons who live in a dwelling with you. This dwelling must be the center of life for each of these persons. All household members are considered if they are not excluded from the housing allowance.
You are excluded from housing benefit if you receive transfer payments (other social benefits) in which housing costs are already included.
For example, citizen's allowance or Basic income support in old age and in case of reduced earning capacity
You will still need to attach supporting documents to the completed continuation application.
- Current proofs of your rent or burden, especially:
- bank statements showing the amount of your current rent
- current statement of operating costs,
- in the case of owners: Evidence of existing loans you have taken out for the purchase, construction or modernization of your home or condominium,
- in the case of residential property: current property tax assessment notice.
- Proof of income for all household members, e.g.
- Wage and salary slips for the last few months,
- current pension statement,
- current notification of receipt of other social benefits (e.g.
Unemployment benefit, parental allowance, advance maintenance payment, sickness benefit),
- Proof of alimony payments,
- Proof of interest and other investment income (e.g. for savings accounts, fixed-term deposits, daily allowances, building society savings contracts, funds); in particular tax certificates.
- Other proof (if available), e.g.
- Disability certificate and
- Notification of long-term care insurance benefits.
As a rule, housing allowance is granted for 12 months. You should submit an application for continued housing benefit 2 months before the end of the approval period.
The housing allowance or an increase will be paid from the date of application.
You can apply for housing allowance at the housing allowance offices.
Written form required: Yes
Personal appearance required: No
You yourself, as the person entitled to housing benefit, must submit the application.
After checking your income and costs, you will be granted the housing allowance if you are entitled to it.
You will be notified in writing of the approval and the amount of the payment.
Changes can, but do not have to, lead to an increase in the housing allowance.
If your financial situation or your living circumstances have improved or changed again, the housing allowance may also be reduced.
To ensure that you do not receive housing benefit unjustly, the housing benefit authority may check the household members regularly.
The amount of the housing allowance may vary from region to region. Rent or charges are eligible only up to certain maximum amounts. The maximum amounts are based on the local rent level. There are 6 rent levels. At rent level 3, a municipality's rents roughly correspond to the national average.
Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital Saxony-Anhalt
30.01.2023
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
38855 Wernigerode, Stadt
