- Housing cost deductions for over 4000 households
About seven percent of recipients of unemployment benefits in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have to make cuts in the state's subsidies for rent and heating costs because their apartments are considered not adequate. Last year, this affected approximately 4,400 households with unemployment benefits and recognized housing costs in the northeast, as shown in the response from the federal government to an inquiry from the Left group in the Bundestag.
On average, the affected households in the state had to pay 99 euros out of their own pocket each month, i.e., from the allocations in the standard requirement or from savings. Nationwide, the proportion was significantly higher at 12.2 percent of all unemployment benefit households. According to the Ministry of Labor, almost 320,000 of the total 2.6 million affected households did not receive the full reimbursement of housing costs and had to contribute an average of 103 euros from other sources each month.
Differences in the amount of additional payments
There were significant differences within Mecklenburg-Vorpommern depending on the region. Unemployment benefit households in the Hanseatic city of Rostock had to make the highest additional payments, with 141 euros per month. However, the percentage of these additional payers was lower than the state average at 5.8 percent. This could indicate that fewer unemployment benefit recipients in the largest city of the state live in apartments that are considered too large or too expensive by the authorities. However, different guidelines also apply in the countryside. In the Rostock district, the difference between actual and approved housing costs was 110 euros, and in the city of Schwerin, it was 107 euros. In Nordwestmecklenburg, the amount was the lowest in the state at 83 euros.
Subsidy depends on rent and apartment size
In principle, housing costs, i.e., rent and heating costs, for unemployment benefit recipients should be covered by the state. However, this only applies if the costs are considered reasonable. For this, rent and apartment size may not exceed certain regionally defined limits. Those who live in an apartment that is too large are asked to move or, for example, to sublet a room.
Social associations have long criticized that the set rent limits are often unrealistic. Often, those affected have no chance of finding a cheaper apartment and have to pay increasingly higher amounts - and the money is then missing for food, clothing, and education. There is a shortage of housing in the northeast, especially in tourist regions and university towns.
The Federal Parliament needs to address the issue of unrealistic rent limits, as social associations have consistently criticized their impact on unemployment benefit recipients in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Despite the Federal Parliament's role in defining these limits, many households in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern still struggle with paying additional housing costs, with some, like those in Rostock, having to pay up to 141 euros per month.
