Inform the funding agency about your wish to move
Some people who look for an apartment receive social benefits from their funding agency* to help them cover their living costs. In general, EU newcomers cannot claim benefits until they have a permanent residence and an employment contract. Certain conditions must be fulfilled so that the costs of your new home
can be taken into account in the calculation of your social benefits.
• Your funding agency must accept a move to your new apartment as necessary. A move is necessary, for example, if your apartment is too small or the condition of your apartment is unacceptable (because, for example, electricity, gas or water pipes are defective or the walls are moldy).
• Furthermore, your new apartment must be adequate, i.e. the monthly rent must not exceed a certain limit (see step 2).
You will only receive additional benefits if these conditions are fulfilled. Your funding agency requires various information for the necessity and adequacy assessment. Therefore, you will receive forms from your funding agency, which have to be filled in by you and your future landlord. The following texts explain
in which case you need which form.
Before you start looking for an apartment, you should have your funding agency confirm that you necessarily need to move. If you receive benefits from Sozialamt, make an appointment in person. If you receive benefits from Jobcenter, print out form 1* and submit the completed form to Jobcenter. Your funding agency then assesses whether a move is necessary. If the move is considered necessary, you will be given form 2**. Jobcenter clients will also receive forms 3 and 4.
Form 2 and form 3 (for Jobcenter clients only) refer to a specific apartment offer. These will be completed by you and your future landlord once you have found an apartment, but before you sign the lease. Your funding agency uses these forms to assess whether the apartment is adequate. After you received confirmation
that your funding agency accepts the apartment as appropriate, you can sign the lease.
Form 4 refers to the deposit.
The figure below shows the communication process with your funding agency.
#Form 1: Antrag (Teil 1) auf Zusicherung der Kosten für die neue Unterkunft
##Form 2: Bescheinigung über ein Mietangebot
###Form 3: Antrag (Teil 2) auf Zusicherung der Kosten für die neue Unterkunft
####Form 4: Abtretungserklärung
Contact:
Sozialamt – Leistungen und persönliche Hilfen nach dem AsylbLG und zur Wohnraumsicherung
Luisenstraße 11-13, 44137 Dortmund
Mo, Di, Do und Fr: 8.00 – 10.30 Uhr
It is also possible to make an appointment outside the opening hours.
Jobcenter-Filialen
Steinstraße 39, 44147 Dortmund
Königshof 1, 44147 Dortmund
Am Kaiserhain 1, 44139 Dortmund
Südwall 5 – 9, 44137 Dortmund
Kampstraße 49, 44137 Dortmund
Mo, Di, Fr: 7.30 – 12.30 Uhr, Do 7.30 – 18.00 Uhr, Mi nach Vereinbarung.
*Your service provider is the office from which you receive money each month, either the social welfare office or the job centre.
When is the apartment appropriate?
Always make sure that the monthly rent is below the maximum amounts given in the table. In individual cases the assumption of the rental costs may be refused if an apartment is adequate but other factors like the energy consumption have not been clarified. Furthermore, the incidental expenses have to be considered in the calculation.
If you are not sure if an apartment meets the conditions, show the apartment advertisement to an employee at Sozialamt or Jobcenter and ask for help.
