The housing eligibility certificate is an official document that allows tenants to prove that they are eligible to move into a publicly subsidized apartment (social housing) in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The housing eligibility certificate is valid for a maximum of one year.
You can apply for the housing eligibility certificate in two ways at the relevant office:
-
General housing eligibility certificate
The applicant is entitled to move into any social housing apartment.
-
Special housing eligibility certificate
Prospective tenants apply for a specific social housing apartment, subject to the special eligibility requirements. With this housing eligibility certificate, the applicant is entitled to move into (only) this specific social housing apartment.
The form is available from:
- at the Office for Social Services
- at the information desk in the town hall
- at the local government offices
To speak to us in person, please make an appointment.
You can then send the documents to the Social Services Office by mail, fax, or email.
Households whose eligible income does not exceed the relevant income limit are issued with a housing eligibility certificate. The income limit depends on the number of people in the household and the relevant subsidy programs. A housing eligibility certificate is issued provided that the total income of the household does not exceed the income limit specified in Section 13 of the State Housing Promotion Act (LWoFG).
The total annual income is made up of the gross annual income of all persons belonging to the household. It is determined in accordance with the State Housing Promotion Act.
In exceptional cases, a housing eligibility certificate may also be issued without compliance with the relevant income limits in order to take into account the special needs of a person belonging to the household or to avoid particular hardship. This must be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Those seeking accommodation must be residents,
i.e. they must either be German or EU citizens or
have a residence permit that is valid for at least one year.
The Social Services Office of the state capital Mainz does not arrange housing.
The final decision on whether to enter into a tenancy agreement is made solely by the respective landlord (usually Wohnbau Mainz GmbH or other housing associations).
We will endeavor to process your application as quickly as possible, but in some cases there may be delays. If any required documents are missing, we will contact you.
Due to the large number of applications, we are unable to provide any information on the receipt or status of an application.
For the issuance of general housing eligibility certificates: The administration of the independent municipality/association of municipalities/city administration of the place of residence or future place of residence.
For the issuance of special housing eligibility certificates: The administration of the independent municipality/association of municipalities/city administration of the future place of residence.
When moving within Rhineland-Palatinate:
Apply for the residence permit in your previous municipality.
If you are moving from another federal state:
Apply for the residence permit at the Social Services Office in Mainz.
