Can't Afford the Kaution in Frankfurt? The Jobcenter or Sozialrathaus Can Lend It, But Ask Before You Sign

Two Doors in Frankfurt, One Rule

If you receive benefits and have found a flat, the landlord will ask for a deposit before you move in. The legal cap is three months’ rent without utilities, and for someone living on benefits that is often more than any savings. German social law provides for this case, and in Frankfurt the same rule applies whichever office pays you: ask first, sign afterward.

The City of Frankfurt’s page on housing costs tells you who advises.

The Amt für Wohnungswesen’s brochure on living in Frankfurt lists the Sozialrathäuser by district, from Ost-Bornheim and Nord to Gallus, Bockenheim, Höchst, Sachsenhausen and Dornbusch. Apply to the one that is responsible for your address.

The Jobcenter Route Step by Step

Jobcenter Frankfurt’s moving page is clear. Before you move, the Jobcenter must first check that the flat is appropriate, and only once you hold its assurance may you sign the lease and move.

1. Find a flat.Use the city's table of appropriate gross cold rents as a guide.
2. Ask the landlord for all costs.Cold rent, heating, utilities and the Kaution. Do not sign.
3. Hand in the Mietangebot.The Jobcenter's form, filled in with the costs of the flat, to your Jobcenter.
4. Wait for the written assurance.The Jobcenter tells you whether and from when you can sign.
5. Apply for the deposit and moving costs.The Jobcenter's flyer lists the Mietkaution, renovation costs and first furnishings as costs you can apply for.
6. Sign and move.Keep the assurance with the lease.

The law behind it is § 22 SGB II. Absatz 4 says to obtain the assurance of the office responsible for the new flat before concluding the contract. Absatz 6 says costs for a deposit can be recognised on prior assurance by the office at the new place, that the assurance should be given when the move is necessary and no flat can be found in reasonable time otherwise, and that deposits and cooperative shares should be given as a loan.

A detail from the Jobcenter: its flyer (version dated 11/2025, before the changes of 1 July 2026) states that the one-year Karenzzeit for too-high rent does not apply to new rentals. The current § 22 Absatz 4 SGB II points the same way: costs above the appropriate level after a move are recognised only if the office assured this in writing in advance. A flat above the limit may therefore not be paid in full. Check the numbers first.

Checking the Rent Limit

The city publishes the table of appropriate gross cold rents used for SGB II, SGB XII and the asylum seekers’ benefits. The version reviewed for this guide was labelled with the Mietspiegel 2024.

Frankfurt introduced a new Mietspiegel in June 2026, so ask the office which table applies on the day you apply, and do not rely on the figures above as a final answer.

How the Loan Is Repaid

Under § 22 Absatz 6 the deposit should be provided as a loan. § 42a SGB II sets the repayment: while you receive benefits, 5 percent of the applicable standard rate is offset each month, starting the month after the payout. The BMAS lists the 2026 standard rates unchanged at 563 euros for a single adult and 506 euros for each partner, so the monthly offset is about 28 euros for a single adult and about 25 euros for each partner.

Two points are easy to miss. If your landlord returns the deposit when you move out, the unpaid part of the loan becomes due at once, so it is worth having the deposit paid into a proper account (see our guide to the Mietkautionskonto). And if you leave benefits before the loan is repaid, the remaining sum falls due, and the law asks the office to agree a repayment plan that takes your finances into account.

For Sozialhilfe, § 35a SGB XII works the same way: prior consent, deposit as a loan, 5 percent offset.

Three Installments, Whatever Your Benefit

§ 551 BGB caps a deposit at three times the monthly rent without utilities and entitles you to pay a cash deposit in three equal monthly instalments, the first at the start of the tenancy. Raise it with the landlord early, and ask your caseworker whether the office expects you to use this right before it lends the full amount. Our guide on the three-instalment right in Frankfurt explains how to ask.

Do not let a deposit slip. Under § 569 Absatz 2a BGB, default with a deposit equal to two months’ rent can justify a termination, so agree the dates with the office and the landlord in writing.

Avoiding Deposit Scams

Frankfurt’s flat market produces fake offers. The Amt für Wohnungswesen’s brochure lists the warning signs: a price far below comparable flats, a landlord who is supposedly abroad, a demand for deposit or rent before a viewing, and viewing and money handover through a third person. It advises paying the deposit or first instalment and the first rent only after you hold the flat, the keys and a signed lease. A Jobcenter assurance does not change that rule. Ask for the lease and handover protocol first, then pay.

What If the Office Says No or Is Slow?

If the office refuses, ask for the decision in writing with reasons so that you can respond or have it checked. If a good flat is about to go to someone else, ask the landlord whether he will wait a few days for the assurance and offer to show the Mietangebot form. Do not sign “to be safe”. Jobcenter Frankfurt itself warns that costs may then not be paid. Those under 25 should also read the rule in § 22 Absatz 5 SGB II, which requires the assurance before the lease for housing costs to be recognised until age 25.

Step by Step

1. Find out which door is yours: Jobcenter (Grundsicherungsgeld) or Sozialrathaus (Sozialhilfe, Grundsicherung im Alter).
2. Check the rent against the city’s table of appropriate gross cold rents.
3. Ask the landlord for all costs and a written Mietangebot, including the Kaution and instalments.
4. Hand it in and wait for the written assurance.
5. Sign only after the assurance, and pay only after keys and lease.
6. Note the repayment of 5 percent of the standard rate and keep the assurance.
7. When you move out, make sure the landlord’s repayment of the deposit is documented.

Compliance Note

This guide describes the general framework of §§ 22 and 42a SGB II, § 35a SGB XII and § 551 BGB, and the Frankfurt offices as described on their official pages in October 2026. It is not legal advice. Benefit rules changed on 1 July 2026 when Grundsicherungsgeld replaced Bürgergeld, offices decide individual cases, and rent limits are updated. Confirm the details with Jobcenter Frankfurt or your Sozialrathaus before you act.