Overview

• Labor Ministry drafts a reform that would end the one‑year housing grace period for Bürgergeld recipients and require immediate moves from flats deemed too expensive, alongside tougher sanctions.
• VdK and SoVD say affordable alternatives are scarce and caution that cutting rent coverage from day one would push households to reduce essentials or lose housing.
• New data cited in coverage highlight structural constraints, with 2024 housing permits down 16.8% and experts reporting a shortfall of social homes.
• Media cases intensify pressure for changes, including an RTL2‑documented Pirmasens couple who received about €3,400 per month through overlapping Bürgergeld and unemployment benefits due to administrative errors.
• A recent regional court ruling limited the recovery of overpaid benefits, while TV reports spotlight payment delays, alleged fraud and undeclared side incomes that fuel the broader debate.