Social and Societal Hurdles

Back to: Know-How: Support in Finding Accommodation

Even after it has been clarified whether permission to rent a flat of one’s own exists under the applicable law, the search for a flat is often very difficult. Find out about possible pitfalls here.

Tense housing situation in the cities

The housing situation in the cities is often very tense already. Even without the bureaucratic hurdles of a fugitive, many inhabitants find it difficult to find a suitable place to live. Especially the Munich housing market is overwhelmed. The newspaper ‚Süddeutsche Zeitung‘ has talked to those affected and reports that although many of them have already received positive asylum decisions, they are unable to find accommodation. Ayham Alysayed is no exception.

Ayham Alysayed says that he had already applied for a social housing a year ago and had also written about 100 mails to private landlords. „I never got a single reply“.
Anna Hoben, Süddeutsche Zeitung, URL

Concerns of the landlords

Language barriers and comprehension difficulties automatically complicate the process of finding accommodation. Often a third party would be needed who could mediate between the refugee and the landlord or actively support the search for accommodation.

Unfortunately, refugees often have to struggle with concerns on the part of landlords. In 2017, Mediendienst-Integration surveyed various initiatives in Berlin and Dresden on the subject and suspects that many landlords simply do not want to rent their flats to fugitives. The fear of problems living together with fugitives is too great. They are accused of disregarding the general rental rules: wrong or no waste separation, too high noise level, or simply another and thus – in the eyes of some landlords – a problematic „living culture“ is feared. Many landlords hide their discrimination also behind formalities and require certain documents from refugees, which are difficult or impossible to present at the given moment. ¹

Self-reflection

In the following video some problems are discussed again. Watch the video carefully. Have you already encountered similar problems? Share your experiences in the forum.

Financial hurdles

To finance their own apartment and, if necessary, pay the security deposit is often particularly difficult for refugees. As a rule, refugees cannot pay their own rent. In many cases, however, state support can also be requested. The office which grants the social benefits usually pays the costs. The following criteria are decisive:

Amount of rent
Size of the apartment
Household size

Of course, the status of the fugitive must also be taken into account in this case. If a positive asylum decision has been issued, the job center usually pays for the costs of the apartment and, depending on the situation, various support funds can be requested depending on the situation. In the case of an ongoing asylum procedure, the costs can usually only be covered after 2 years. Then it is not the job center that is responsible, but the Office for Migration and Integration. ²

Footnotes

Mediendienst Integration(2017): Berlin und Dresden. Welchen Zugang haben Geflüchtete zum Wohnungsmarkt?, [online] https://mediendienst-integration.de/fileadmin/Dateien/Expertise_Fluechtlinge_Wohnungsmarkt.pdf [05.02.19]
Leitfaden für die Unterstützung von geflüchteten Menschen in Freiburg. S. 33 f., PDF: https://www.start-with-a-friend.de/standorte/freiburg/[05.02.19]