Housing support

Subsidy for your rent – Housing support is designed to help all those whose income is not adequate to cover the cost of suitable accommodation. Students may be able to obtain housing support under certain circumstances.

Conditions for students

In principle, students are not entitled to housing benefit if they are entitled to BAföG “on the merits”, regardless of whether they actually receive BAföG. This results from § 20 WoGG, after which a competition of laws arises, since the BAföG requirement already includes a part for housing costs. Therefore, if the education is eligible for BAföG, the student is not entitled to housing benefit. The only exception is if BAföG is received exclusively as a bank loan, in which case students can also apply for housing benefit.

The entitlement to housing allowance for students is therefore linked to whether there is a claim to BAföG “on the merits”. This means whether the studies can generally be funded with BAföG. Whether BAföG has actually been applied for, money flows or does not flow because, for example, the income of the spouse/life partner or parents is too high, is irrelevant for the entitlement to housing benefit.

The only decisive factor is the eligibility of the education, which should be the case for the majority of students.

Who receives the housing support?
Exceptions to the entitlement to housing benefit for students
1. on the merits there is no entitlement to BAföG
2. BAföG as a bank loan
3. not a pure trainee or student household
4. housing benefit with other social benefits (Hartz IV and social benefits)

Housing benefit in a shared flat – Wohngemeinschaft Students in particular often form shared flats in order to share the rent during their studies. With regard to housing allowance, it is the case that they are not household members within the meaning of the Housing Allowance Act (WoGG) if the shared flat does not consist of family members and close relatives. Therefore, each student in a shared flat is regarded as a separate household, which means that the claim to housing allowance does not apply if there is a claim to BAföG at the same time.
How can I apply for housing support?
You can only obtain housing support if you make an application and provide evidence of meeting the conditions. You can obtain application forms from the local housing support offices, the local authority, urban, main or district administration office. Officials there can offer you extensive advice too. The authority responsible for you will issue written notification in response to your application for housing support.
For how long is housing support paid?
Housing support is normally granted for twelve months, from the first day of the month when you apply for housing support. After this, a fresh application is required.

Housing benefit (german website)