Duty to notify for housing benefit in Frankfurt

Housing benefit is set for an award period, usually twelve months. The amount on the decision notice rests on the circumstances at the time of the award. If those circumstances change materially, the payment no longer matches. The Housing Benefit Act (Wohngeldgesetz, WoGG) therefore requires notification, not only at the next renewal.

The duty falls on the person entitled to the benefit. It applies whether the change is favourable or unfavourable for you. A failure to report can lead to revocation of the award as well as repayment.

If total income or the countable rent (or housing burden) rises or falls by more than 15 per cent against the figure used in the decision notice, you must report it. Small fluctuations below that do not trigger this threshold, but can still matter under other headings.

For rent, the gross cold rent counts, not heating or electricity. A rent increase above the threshold must be reported and can at the same time justify an increase application, if there is still room up to the maximum for Mietenstufe VI. A job change with noticeably different income likewise.

Every change in the number or composition of countable household members must be reported: a birth, someone moving in, someone moving out, a separation or a death in the household. In a shared flat, even a change of housemate can shift your own household.

A move changes the dwelling, the rent and possibly competence. Within Frankfurt the Housing Office remains responsible, and Mietenstufe VI continues to apply. If you move out of the city, local competence ends; you must still report so that payment does not continue for the old dwelling.

If you start to receive Bürgergeld or another benefit that covers housing costs, the housing-benefit claim usually ends. Report this change without delay. The same applies if such a benefit ends and you want to apply for housing benefit again – then through a first application.

The boundary with unemployment benefit, BAföG and other benefits is explained on the Transfer benefits page. Uncertainty does not lift the duty to report: if in doubt, send the other authority’s notice.

For ongoing changes Frankfurt often provides for a change application on paper, while first, renewal and increase applications are often possible electronically. An informal written report with evidence can start the process; email alone is unreliable, and an appeal in any event requires written form.

If the authority continues to pay although the conditions have fallen away or the amount was set too high, it can reclaim the overpayment. That applies especially if the change should have been reported. The repayment is issued as a decision notice; you can appeal against it in writing within one month.

You should also report a change that is favourable for you (falling income, higher rent below the maximum). Otherwise the award stays too low, and a later top-up usually takes effect only from the month of the report or the increase application, not for the whole past period.

The duty to notify runs throughout the award period. An increase application is the specialised route to a higher award if the rent rises or more people join. A renewal application – about two months before the end – does not cure missed reports from earlier months.

Evidence of the change follows the Documents page. The maximum amounts for level VI (615 / 745 / 887 / 1,035 / 1,183 euros plus 149 euros) limit what rent can enter the new calculation at all. An overview of the application routes is in Housing benefit application.