Frankfurt rent level: Mietenstufe VI under the WoGV
As of: August 2026
The Frankfurt rent level is Mietenstufe VI. It stands in the annex to the Housing Benefit Ordinance and applies to the whole of Frankfurt am Main. The seven levels I to VII map local rent levels against the federal territory. Level I covers cheap markets, level VII the most expensive. Frankfurt is in the second-highest level: comparable rents are clearly above average; the highest level remains reserved for level VII. The level determines the maximum amounts, not the individual decision notice.
What the Frankfurt rent level sets
Housing benefit does not calculate with the actual market rent of every street, but with statutory caps. These caps depend on the municipality’s rent level and on the number of household members. For Frankfurt am Main that is Mietenstufe VI.
The assignment is not made by the local office at its discretion. It follows the annex to the Housing Benefit Ordinance (Wohngeldverordnung, WoGV). The level would change only if the ordinance-maker recast the annex – not through a single rent index or a district statistic.
Levels I to VII at a glance
The system has seven levels. They sort municipalities by how high the local rent level lies compared with the federal average. The higher the level, the higher the maximum amounts of countable rent.
| Level | Local rent level |
|---|---|
| I | clearly below the federal average |
| II | below average |
| III | slightly below average to average |
| IV | average to slightly above |
| V | above average |
| VI | clearly above average – Frankfurt am Main |
| VII | highest level in the ordinance |
Why Frankfurt am Main stands in level VI
The Frankfurt rent level reflects the expensive housing market of the Main metropolis: high comparable rents, tight supply, strong demand in the Rhine-Main region. In the WoGV system that is enough for the second-highest level.
Level VII remains reserved for markets that the ordinance places still higher. Frankfurt is therefore not “set too low” because individual adverts lie above the maximum amounts – the level describes the municipal level, not the most expensive flat in the Westend. Conversely, level VI does not make housing benefit automatically generous: income and household remain equal factors of the amount.
One city area, one level
Whether city centre, Sachsenhausen, Bornheim, Höchst or a northern district: Mietenstufe VI applies to the whole of Frankfurt am Main. There is no special housing-benefit level by location, year of construction or landlord.
Differences between areas work only through the rent actually agreed – and only until the maximum is reached. A guide by area, without another level, is under Districts. The same office remains responsible; see Competent authority.
What the level triggers in the calculation
The rent level chooses the right column of the maximum amounts. In level VI these amounts lie higher than in I to V and lower than in VII. The basic values in Annex 1 – without heating – are tabulated on the Maximum amounts page.
The heating-cost and climate components do not depend on the Frankfurt level; they are added to the basic amount nationwide. Explanation: Heating costs. Countable cold rent itself is defined under Gross cold rent.
What the rent level does not decide
The level does not say whether someone meets the eligibility rules. It changes nothing about exclusion for Bürgergeld with housing costs or for BAföG in principle. It also does not set housing benefit in euros.
Two households in the same Frankfurt street can have very different results as soon as income or the number of people diverge. How the factors link is described in the calculation.
Level and application
In the application you do not have to enter the rent level yourself; the authority applies the WoGV to the place of residence. What matters is the correct address of the dwelling, because level and competence follow from it.
For dwellings in Frankfurt am Main the Housing Office (Amt für Wohnungswesen), Adickesallee 67–69, 60322 Frankfurt am Main, is responsible. Terms around the level are explained in the Glossary.
Start your Frankfurt application
Submit application online