Apply for a certificate of eligibility for housing

If you would like to move into social housing, you first need a certificate of eligibility.

This entitles you to move into social housing, but the certificate of eligibility does not allocate you an apartment.

A social apartment is an apartment that has been subsidized with state funds (in the case of new construction or modernization).

In order to obtain a certificate of eligibility, you must submit an application. Your details will be checked during the subsequent application processing. If you meet the requirements, you will receive a certificate of eligibility. You can read about the requirements in § 19 of the Thuringian Housing Assistance Act.

The housing entitlement certificate is issued for one year. If you are unable to rent social housing within this one year, you must apply for a new certificate of eligibility.

Only housing entitlement certificates issued in Thuringia are valid for occupancy of social housing in Thuringia.

If you have received a certificate of eligibility, please present it to the landlord at the latest when signing the rental agreement.

The application for a housing entitlement certificate must be completed in full and submitted by the applicant with all documents to the relevant responsible office.

The responsible authorities are the administrative districts, independent cities and the cities of Gotha, Ilmenau, Rudolstadt, Saalfeld and Sondershausen.

The responsible office will process the application. If not all the required documents are available, the applicant will be asked to submit them later. If, as a result of the application review, the requirements according to § 19 ThürWoFG are met, a certificate of eligibility for housing will be issued.

If the application is rejected, the applicant can lodge a complaint with the competent administrative court.

The applicant must hand over the certificate of eligibility for housing to the landlord concerned at the latest when the tenancy agreement is concluded. The landlord notifies the competent authority if he has let a social housing unit to a person seeking accommodation and submits his certificate of eligibility for housing including a notification of transfer to the competent authority.

• residence in Germany is not only temporary,
• the home is the center of your life for at least one year (from the date of application)
• the relevant income limits must not be exceeded,
• there must be only one place of residence

• Identity card or passport,
• Marriage certificate (only young married couples),
• Proof of income (e.g. salary certificate, short-time working allowance, pensions, maintenance/advance maintenance payments),
• birth certificate(s) if applicable,
• certificate of severe disability,
• Proof of pregnancy (e.g. maternity pass),
• certificates, expert opinions, etc.,
• School certificate from the age of 16,
• Certificate of enrollment,
• written consent of the legal representative, if applicable

A fee is payable for the issue of the housing entitlement certificate.

The amount of the fee is based on the Thuringian Administrative Costs Ordinance for the business area of the TMIL. Currently, the fee per certificate is between €10 and €25.

Payment method: bank transfer.

- Section 19 of the Thuringian Housing Promotion Act (ThürWoFG)

- Administrative regulation on the implementation of the commitments for subsidized housing (ThürWoFG)

If your application for a housing entitlement certificate is rejected, you can lodge a complaint with the relevant administrative court.

You can obtain the housing entitlement certificate from the district office, the independent towns and the towns of Gotha, Ilmenau, Rudolstadt, Saalfeld and Sondershausen.

Further information is available on the website of the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture and from the Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB):

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Thuringian Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture

Housing construction/housing promotion division

29.01.2021

the administrative districts, independent cities and the cities of Gotha, Ilmenau, Rudolstadt, Saalfeld and Sondershausen.