Apply for a certificate of eligibility for housing

You can apply for a Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS) from your local authority. You can also obtain the necessary forms there. Which authority is responsible for you depends on the regulations of the respective federal state. You can find out which forms and documents are required from the relevant authorities.

The residence entitlement certificate contains information on the entitled persons, compliance with the relevant income limits, the living space and the number of rooms.

The certificate of eligibility for housing entitles the holder to move into a subsidized apartment (social housing). There is no legal entitlement to the placement of a corresponding apartment.

The apartment you wish to move into must not exceed the maximum apartment size specified in the WBS. Only in exceptional cases may the number of rooms or the living space be exceeded. The administration staff will also be happy to provide you with more information on this.

Some social housing is reserved for a specific group of people. These may be, for example, students, senior citizens (minimum age 60), people with disabilities or large households (at least three children). If you belong to a special group of people, this will also be stated on the housing entitlement certificate.

The housing entitlement certificate is usually valid for one year, i.e. you can move into social housing within this period. After the expiry date, you can apply for a new Wohnberechtigungsschein. Furthermore, it can only be used once to move into social housing. The certificate of eligibility must be handed over to the landlord/landlady when the tenancy agreement is signed.

The housing promotion laws of the individual federal states apply. If the federal states have not passed their own laws, the federal law applies.

• Act on the Promotion of Social Housing (Housing Promotion Act - WoFG)

For written applications

• Identity card for German citizens and nationals from the European Community (ID card)
• Passport for foreign citizens with a residence permit valid for at least one year

ELECTRONIC
Legitimization (user name / password) is also required electronically.

In addition:

• Declaration of income from each member of the household who has their own income
• Depending on the income earned, appropriate evidence must be provided. This can be, for example
  • Pay slips from the previous year
  • Pay slips for the last 12 months
  • Annual income tax statement for the previous year
  • Income tax assessment of the previous year

Depending on your personal situation, further documents may also be required:

For example:

• Disability certificate (e.g. for severely disabled people)
• Certificate of enrollment (e.g. for students)
• BAföGBescheide (for recipients of educational grants)
• Pension certificate (e.g. for pensioners)
• Proof of benefits from the job center (e.g. for the unemployed)

This list is not exhaustive.

Depending on the case, the administrative staff may require additional documents. If this is the case, you will be contacted immediately.

• German or EU nationality
• Other nationality with a residence permit that is generally valid for at least one year
• Age of majority (or consent of the legal guardian/legal guardian)
• Households whose qualifying income does not exceed the income limit. Compliance with the income limit depends primarily on the number of people in the household and the income of all household members. The calculation is generally based on the gross annual income of all persons living in the household for the previous calendar year. In addition, there are exemptions and deductions, for example for people with a recognized severe disability/recognized degree of care.
• One of the requirements is that you are not only staying in the Federal Republic of Germany temporarily, but that you have or wish to establish your center of life here. The center of your life is the place where you settle permanently, voluntarily, alone or with your family.

You can apply for a certificate of eligibility for housing:

• If you need advice, you can have a personal or telephone consultation with an employee of your competent authority before submitting your application.
• To apply, fill out the application form digitally or on paper and attach the required documents.
• Your application will be checked by the employees of your competent authority. If necessary, you will be asked to answer questions.
• After the check, you will receive feedback as to whether or not you are entitled to a certificate of eligibility for housing. If yes, you will be issued with the certificate of eligibility.

The prerequisites for the issue of a certificate of eligibility for housing are

Income limit

The income limit is EUR 23,540 for a single person and EUR 28,350 for a two-person household.

The supplement for each additional person included in the household is EUR 6,530.

The income limit is increased by a further EUR 860 in each case for children who form part of the household within the meaning of Section 32 (1) to (5) of the Income Tax Act.

The calculation of income is generally based on the annual income (gross) of all members of the household. The income situation for the twelve months prior to the date of application (reference date) must be used for the calculation. The income is reduced by the amount of income-related expenses, allowances and flat-rate deductions. The income of all members of the household who wish to move into the new home together must not exceed the relevant income limit.

Apartment size

As a rule, the following apartment size can be assumed:

• for a single person: 50 square meters of living space
• for a household with two household members: two living rooms or 65 square meters of living space
• for a household with three household members: three living rooms or 80 square meters of living space, etc.

The living space is increased by one room or 15 square meters of living space for each additional person living in the household. The specified number of living rooms does not include the kitchen (up to 15 square meters) and ancillary rooms.

A certificate of eligibility for housing can be issued for a specific apartment. The prerequisite for this is a declaration of consent from the landlord of the new apartment. However, a certificate of eligibility for housing can also be issued solely on the basis of income. The residence entitlement certificate then entitles the holder to move into any apartment whose size corresponds to the information on the residence entitlement certificate (general WBS).

False information can be prosecuted and punished as false certification or fraud. A residence entitlement certificate issued can be revoked if it was issued on the basis of incomplete or incorrect information.

The fee for a residence entitlement certificate is generally 15 euros.

If the livelihood of the household is predominantly covered by basic security benefits, the issue of the housing entitlement certificate is free of charge.