From the beginning of 2023, significantly more people than before will be entitled to housing benefit in Germany – and many municipalities therefore fear a rush that will lead to long waiting times. Potsdam is no exception. In the state capital, the average processing time for applicants, “from the moment the complete documents are submitted”, is already around twelve weeks. City spokesman Jan Brunzlow told the PNN on request.
“It is not yet possible to estimate how this processing time will develop given the expected sharp increase in the number of applications,” the spokesman continued. Currently it says on the municipal town hall websiteMail inquiries about the processing status of housing benefit applications would not be answered.
According to Brunzlow, the city administration prepared itself as follows: “We started advertising positions early on.” To date, nine new positions have been filled, and another seven colleagues will start in the housing benefit office in the next two months. So you can actually start to implement the new law at the beginning of January – “if the update of the necessary software is available on January 2nd,” says Brunzlow.
As early as mid-December, the responsible Federal Ministry of Building, headed by Klara Geywitz (SPD) from Potsdam, promised simplified application procedures in a communication so that more people would quickly receive the new housing allowance in the coming year. According to the ministry, payments could begin immediately after the application was submitted in January or February. In principle, the benefit can also be applied for by telephone or informal e-mail and provisionally paid out with a simplified check. There is also a de minimis clause for reclaiming too much or wrongly paid housing benefit up to an amount of 50 euros. There had previously been fears nationwide that those in need would have to wait a long time for their money because of the complex changeover in administration.
370
Euro per month housing benefit are possible on average
According to the will of the federal government, around three times as many recipients nationwide should benefit from the state rent subsidy from January. Furthermore, the benefit is increased by an average of 190 euros per month. Eligible households thus receive an average of around 370 euros per month. Households that do not receive social benefits but still have little money can apply for housing benefit. An approximate online calculator to determine whether you could be entitled can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Building, among other things www.bmwsb.bund.de.
Potsdam’s city spokesman Brunzlow said about the practical procedure that it is irrelevant whether an application is made in person, by post or by e-mail. “However, speedy processing can only take place if the submitted application includes complete documents and information.” It is strongly recommended to pay attention to this completeness. At the same time he confirmed that provisional payments would also be made.
Caritas President: Many fail with such services at the application stage
Just this week, the President of the German Caritas Association, Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, criticized such types of help as housing benefit: Many people would try, but failed with the application. She had therefore called for more on-site advice and forms that were easier to understand and fill out.
Meanwhile, the number of housing benefit recipients in Potsdam had risen sharply over the course of the year: in the first quarter, 1,300 people had made use of it. According to city hall statistics, this figure increased to 3,300 people by the end of September. According to the town hall, many Potsdam residents had already checked whether they were allowed to receive housing benefit as part of the federal relief packages – and thus also received a flat-rate heating allowance, for example. (with dpa/ AFP)
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