ROUTE
WBS: Subsidised Housing Permit
Rents 30β50 percent below market for those under the income limit β which is more people than you would think. Eligibility, application and the search.
β Checked: 15/08/2026
The Wohnberechtigungsschein is a certificate confirming your entitlement to subsidised housing, where rents run 30β50 per cent below market. The main reason eligible people never apply: they rule themselves out, assuming they earn too much. In Berlin close to half of all households fall under the income limits, and state-level limits sit well above the federal baseline.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
What you pay for on this route
- WBSusually β¬5β20
Amounts follow official fees as of each stepβs verification date. Your city may charge a different rate β check the step itself.
βΊ More about this route
The calculation works differently from what most people expect. What counts is your projected income for the 12 months from the date of application, not last year: a job change or parental leave is taken into account immediately. Flat deductions of 10 per cent and more, social contributions and child allowances come off the gross. Children and severe disability raise the limit, and several states issue the WBS even where the limit is exceeded by 5 to 60 per cent.
The document itself usually costs β¬5β20, is issued by the housing office within two to six weeks, is valid for a year and specifies the permitted flat size. It is the entry ticket rather than the key: you still search yourself β but the competition in this segment is many times smaller.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
All possible documents for this route
- Application (city form)
- Income proof for 12 months
- IDs + permits of all adults
- Meldebescheinigung
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Deciding you earn too much without doing the maths. What counts is the projection after deductions, not the gross in your contract β and your state's limit is almost certainly above the federal figures that put people off.
- Submitting an incomplete file. Processing takes two to six weeks, but requests for missing documents are the real brake: a complete package following your city's list turns months into days.
- Getting the WBS and then searching only on portals. The best stock held by municipal housing companies often never reaches the listings at all β it moves through internal lists, and registering with them takes one evening.
- Leaving the urgency section blank. Illness, overcrowding and separation form their own queue in housing allocation; that section deserves an honest answer rather than being skipped.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
How long does the whole route take, from application to flat?βΎ
The WBS itself arrives in two to six weeks, after which the search begins and runs from weeks to months. One thing speeds it up above all: registering directly with the municipal housing companies and applying to cooperatives on the very first evening. The certificate is valid for a year and is renewed with the same package.
I am already flat-hunting β is it too late to apply?βΎ
Not at all, and it should run alongside the search rather than after it. Processing continues while you review listings, and with the certificate in hand a segment opens up where a handful of applicants compete for a flat instead of fifty.
What does it actually save?βΎ
Rents in subsidised housing run 30β50 per cent below market β in large cities that is several hundred euros a month. The certificate itself usually costs β¬5β20, so it pays for itself in the first month of tenancy.
Are the WBS and Wohngeld the same thing?βΎ
No, they are two different instruments and they do not exclude each other. The WBS opens access to cheap housing β it decides which flat you are allowed to rent at all. Wohngeld is a monthly state subsidy towards your rent. Both are worth checking.