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New application for housing benefit

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If you can cover your other living expenses and part of the rent or burden with your own income, you can check whether you are also entitled to housing benefit.
To apply, please fill out an application form and enclose the relevant evidence.
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Detailed description

Housing benefit is intended to relieve you of the housing costs and to ensure that you have appropriate and family-friendly housing economically. The basic principle is that housing costs should not exceed a certain percentage of income.

Housing benefit is only granted upon application by the person entitled to housing benefit.

There is housing benefit

  • Rent subsidy for tenants of an apartment or for residents of a home,
  • Burden subsidy for owners of their own home or condominium.

If you receive other social benefits that already take your housing costs into account (e.g. unemployment benefit II or basic security/social assistance), you can normally not receive housing benefit.
If you are also unable to cover your living expenses yourself, please contact the job center team.arbeit.hamburg or the district offices for basic security and social affairs

 

Information

Prerequisites

The following are eligible to apply for a rental subsidy:

  • tenants of an apartment,
  • Residents of a cooperative or a monastery apartment,
  • residents of a home,
  • persons entitled to rent-like rights of use, in particular holders of a permanent right of residence similar to rent,
  • Owners of an apartment building (three or more apartments), a commercial building or a commercial enterprise if you live in this building,
  • Owners of a single or two-family house in which they live, but which also contains business premises to such an extent that it can no longer be regarded as a home,
  • Owners of a full-time agricultural position whose residential part is not separated from the business part.
The following are eligible to apply for a subsidy:
  • Owners of their own home or condominium,
  • owners of a small settlement,
  • Owners of an agricultural part-time job,
  • Owners of a full-time agricultural position, if the residential and commercial parts are separate and a housing benefit calculation can be made for the residential part,
  • Owners of a property-like permanent right of residence
  • Those entitled to build leases and those who are entitled to the transfer of ownership of the building or apartment or to the transfer or granting of leasehold rights.
The owner of the living space must live in the living space and bear the burden for this.

Documents required

Proof of housing costs or the burden:

  • Lease agreement / lease change letter or certificate from the landlord or, in the case of residential property, purchase agreement and loan agreements & repayment plans with payment receipts
  • Water fee billing/initial classification of water deductions
Proof of household income:
  • Earnings slips/earnings certificate or pension notification, pension adjustment notification
  • Complete notice of unemployment benefit I, citizen benefit / unemployment benefit II, child allowance
  • Complete notification of BAföG, BAB
  • Notice of parental allowance
  • Income from maintenance, notification of maintenance advance
In individual cases, additional documents (e.g. additional income, proof of property, self-disclosure of a self-employed person, income forecast for the self-employed, proof of severe disability, etc.) may be required.

Please note

Heating allowance II
Citizens who received housing benefit for at least one month in the period September to December 2022 will receive a second heating cost subsidy. As of December 1, 2022, Hamburg has already paid out the heating subsidy II to around 13,500 Hamburg households entitled to housing benefit.

Households that receive housing benefit for the first time in December will probably receive the heating subsidy in January 2023. Payment is automated – no application is required.

In order to avoid or uncover the illegal claiming of housing benefit, the housing benefit authority may, in accordance with §§ 16 et seq.

Deadlines

Housing benefit is usually paid starting on the first of the month in which the application is received by the housing benefit office.

Procedure

You can send applications for housing benefit to the housing benefit office responsible for you. It is sufficient to submit the application in writing - personal visits are not necessary.
After processing you will receive a notification.
The housing benefit is usually granted for twelve months

Processing time

The processing time depends, among other things, on the completeness of the information and the submission of the evidence required to process the application.


On average, it takes 17 weeks (average as of July 2024) before you receive your housing benefit notice.


Longer processing times will not be at your expense: housing benefit can also be paid retroactively for periods from the date of receipt of the application.

Fees

No

Legal remedies

contradiction

Legal basis

§ 22 WOGG application for housing benefit

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/wogg/__22.html




§ 25 WoGG approval period

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/wogg/__25.html

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Keywords: Rent subsidy Housing benefit application HS housing benefit burden allowance Housing Allowance Housing allowance approval period

Last updated: 07.11.2024