You can apply for housing benefit if you have a low income above the basic income support level and belong to one of these groups of people:

• pensioners with a low pension
• Working families, single parents and couples with low incomes
• Employees in the low-wage sector
• Students, unless the entire household is entitled to BAföG
• Residents of care homes

You can receive housing benefit as

• receive a rent allowance. This applies if, for example:
  • have rented living space
  • live in accommodation as a subtenant
  • live in a facility, for example for people with disabilities
• receive an encumbrance allowance if you own your own home or a condominium.

As a rule, housing benefit is granted for 12 months. If your income remains the same, the approval period can be up to 24 months. After that, you must submit an application for continued benefit.

If the costs of accommodation are covered by another social benefit provider, you are not entitled to housing benefit. This is the case, for example, with

• Citizen's allowance
• Basic income support in old age
• Basic income support for reduced earning capacity
• Assistance with living expenses

Furthermore, people who receive one of the following benefits do not receive housing benefit:

• Support for training in accordance with the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG)
• Vocational training allowance and training allowance
• Securing living expenses while participating in the special program "Promotion of the professional mobility of young people interested in training and unemployed skilled workers from Europe" (MobiPro-EU)

This also applies if you are only entitled to these benefits in principle. In these cases, the benefit will only be denied in terms of the amount. However, if at least one member of your household is not entitled to one of these benefits, for example the child of a single parent or the parents of students, you are still entitled to housing benefit. This also applies if you receive the benefits exclusively as a loan.

All regions in Germany are divided into 7 different rent levels, as rents vary greatly. The upper income limits for entitlement to housing benefit vary accordingly. You can use a housing benefit calculator to work out in advance whether you are entitled to housing benefit. If you have a fluctuating income, create an income forecast based on the last 12 months.

There is a special case if you have to move to another home as a result of a flood disaster because your previous home is no longer habitable. In this case, you can also apply for housing benefit for rooms that are only intended for temporary living. These can be, for example

• Caravans
• houseboats

Emergency accommodation such as dormitories, schools or gymnasiums do not count as living space. You only need to submit documents and evidence that may have been destroyed within 6 months. If living space for which you are already receiving housing benefit has become uninhabitable, this decision becomes invalid.