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660,000 households will receive housing allowance in the coming year, a good quarter more than in 2019. That was decided by the Bundestag in mid-October. And the housing subsidies that these households receive should be around 30 percent higher on average than they are today. Such an increase is urgently needed.
If a four-member household in Munich today 36,000 euros gross wages has available, see the current rules in the normal case just 80 euros housing subsidy. It practically does not matter how high the rent is once it reaches 800 euros cold. Ten percent grant - helps, but solves no emergencies.
In the last reform in 2016, the goal was still to reach at least 870,000 households, reached 630,000. The result: The planned federal expenditures for this reform in 2020 are lower than the costs, for example for the repair of the Bundeswehr sailor Gorch Fock - and they should fall again in 2021.
Bad is this timid adjustment, because the housing problem, especially for low-income households, but which do not relate Hartz IV, has tightened significantly in recent years. The rents have not only increased in width, there are also less and less social housing. Their numbers are decreasing year after year - even though the low-wage sector is growing. In 1990, there were still three million social housing nationwide, but today there are only 1.1 million. Of all things here saves the state.
And the supply of social housing will continue to shrink. In Germany, the rules on social housing stipulate that state-subsidized housing will fall out of the social bond after a few years. Every year, around 80,000 apartments are now unavailable as reasonably priced living space; less than 40,000 are being rebuilt.
So you get to more social housing
But that is not a law of nature. In Austria applies: Once as a social housing subsidized by the state, always social housing.
In addition, year by year, significantly more social housing would have to be built again. One suggestion: Savings banks and Volksbanks are sitting on a lot of money, for which they even have to pay fines to the ECB. Why do not you build flats with the money instead? Sparkassen still belong to the public sector.
| Number of housing households | Federal funds for housing subsidies in euros | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1061487 | 880621853 |
| 2011 | 902870 | 745369303 |
| 2012 | 782824 | 591699937 |
| 2013 | 664724 | 492459526 |
| 2014 | 564983 | 422377248 |
| 2015 | 460080 | 340401500 |
| 2016 | 631481 | 573325000 |
| 2017 | 592043 | 566827124 |
| 2018 | - | 522566181 |
Database: Federal Statistical Office - Housing Benefit Statistics, BMI
A good remedy against the impoverishment of tenants would be not least the housing benefit. The government parties could not only - as happened now - facilitate access to housing subsidies and increase their support. They could also ensure that those entitled to housing enjoy their rights as far as possible. That is often not the case.
Housing benefit is a legal claim, not alms. Economists such as Ralph Henger, who after all has been producing statistics on the housing allowance for the Federal Ministry of Construction for years, believe that "up to two-thirds" of eligible households today are not entitled to housing subsidies.
Up to a million people who miss the housing allowance
In the Bundestag hearing at the end of September, Wenger, who works for the industry-oriented economic research institute in Cologne, sued that the claimants "often do not make use of the services due to the high cost of filing the application". Wibke Werner from the Berlin Tenants Association also believes that "many households are not aware of their claim to housing benefit" and "scare off the rather extensive form for applying".
An indicator: Even in big cities like Berlin, Cologne or Dusseldorf never more than one to one and a half percent of households actually receive housing allowance. And this despite the fact that rents have risen particularly sharply in recent years, and even though the number of one-person households, which are particularly quickly overwhelmed by rent increases, is particularly high in these cities. In Munich, the number of housing benefit recipients is even less than half a percent.
So far, up to two-thirds of their money has not yet been received: If we start from the current 440,000 housing-related households, today, in addition, around 900,000 households in Germany would be entitled to housing subsidies, which they do not realize. If one adds this figure to the new law, the number of eligible households who still do not apply for housing allowance will soon be larger than one million.
One million households who are eligible, but do not pick up the money.
We should change that. Remember, it is our right! Everyone has to ask for the application themselves. Therefore:
- If you know someone who may be able to claim housing benefit, encourage him.
- It is not that difficult again: The application has four pages, the Berlin Senate has a calculator can be tinkered, which can also be used in Munich or Emden, and with which can be calculated in each municipality (no guarantee), whether a claim consists. In NRW there is a own housing money calculator.
- If the authorities calculate incorrectly and the application is aborted the first time, you can file an opposition and sue at the Administrative Court against the housing subsidy office of the city. About one third of all housing subsidy applications in Berlin is currently rejected, according to the Senate.
Who can get housing allowance?
- Any household that earns enough to receive non-governmental support such as Hartz IV, Bafög or basic security, but too little to be able to pay well for their own home with the money. Even students without Bafög entitlement, for example after the student loan period, can apply for housing allowance. Tenant and social associations help with application and calculation. For example, in the capital of the Berlin tenants' association.
- Unlike the Hartz authority, the Wohngeldamt does not interfere with the question of how big your own apartment is now or what it may cost you. Rising rents, however, do not lead to more housing allowance from a very moderate level. The Office calculates a subsidy to the household for a given size, income and rent. In extreme cases, these grants can reach up to € 1,000 a month for a family of five. On average, it was a good 150 euros a month last year.
- The housing allowance is also available as a burden bonus. This means that if you own the apartment or the house and the income is too low to maintain the house, housing allowance is also possible here.
- Housing allowance is a good alternative to escaping from the city. Empirical research shows that poorer and especially poorer pensioners are fleeing the cities, although that makes their lives even more difficult. Apply for housing allowance instead.
Oh, and if there are any problems, let me know. And maybe your state government. Because the housing reform on 8 November still has to agree in the Bundesrat.
