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What does Kosten der Unterkunft mean?

Kosten der Unterkunft, KdU for short, are rent, service charges and heating. The Jobcenter and the Sozialamt pay them if they are reasonable.

Kosten der Unterkunft

Each city or district sets what is reasonable. It depends, for example, on the size of the home.

If your costs are too high, your household usually gets a request to lower them. They are often still paid for a certain time.

If you want to move, ask the office beforehand whether it will pay for the new home.

Example sentence

Die Kosten der Unterkunft werden in Höhe der angemessenen Kosten übernommen.

The Kosten der Unterkunft are covered up to the reasonable amount.

What you can do

Send rent increases and service charge statements to the office immediately. Otherwise it may not pay the higher costs.

  • Bedarfsgemeinschaft The Bedarfsgemeinschaft (benefit unit) is the people the Jobcenter assesses together, for example couples and their children.
  • Mietvertrag The Mietvertrag (rental contract) is the contract between you and your landlord about your home.
  • Nebenkostenabrechnung The Nebenkostenabrechnung (service charge statement) shows what heating, water, rubbish and other costs of your home cost in the year.
  • Mieterhöhung With a Mieterhöhung (rent increase), the landlord wants more rent. They often ask you to agree.
  • Bürgergeld Bürgergeld (citizen's income) was the Jobcenter's money for people who can work but lack enough to live on. It had this name until June 2026.