Documents for your housing benefit application
Complete documents are half the battle: the more complete your application is when it reaches the housing benefit office, the more smoothly processing will run. This checklist shows what you normally need.
About your home
- Tenancy agreement and proof of your current rent (landlord’s rent certificate, Mietbescheinigung)
- Proof of the amount of your utility costs or advance service charge payments
- If subletting: the subletting agreement
About your income (all household members)
- Payslips from recent months
- Pension award notice or notice about civil service pensions
- Notice about unemployment benefit I, short-time work allowance or sickness benefit
- Bank statements from the last three months
- Proof of other income (e.g. maintenance, investment income)
About you
- Identity card or passport
- For non-EU citizens: your valid residence permit
- For children: child benefit number or child benefit award notice
- If studying or in training: the BAföG or BAB award notice, or the rejection notice
Our tip The City of Hamburg provides official checklists that you can cross-check with the housing benefit office. Submitting documents later extends the processing time considerably – so check that your documents are complete before you send them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need bank statements for the housing benefit application?
As a rule, yes – the housing benefit office needs to understand your income situation. Bank statements from the last three months are usual.
What happens if documents are missing?
The housing benefit office will ask you to provide them. This extends the processing time – so submit everything complete from the start.
Do I need the tenancy agreement in the original?
No, copies are sufficient. What matters is that the documents are complete and easy to read.