We handle the search for your WBS apartment in Berlin.

We handle the practical WBS apartment search in Berlin: market monitoring, checking suitable listings, preparing and submitting applications, uploading documents, landlord contact and organizing viewings. We provide organizational help with forms and documents for the Jobcenter or Sozialamt. Depending on the agreed scope of service, we also help with the next organizational steps relating to the rental agreement, moving and moving in.

No. We carry out the agreed practical work in the WBS apartment search, applications and landlord contact. We provide organizational help with forms for the Jobcenter or Sozialamt. You remain responsible for direct contact with the authority.

The price depends on the specifics of your situation, for example your household size, WBS category and any special search requirements. We therefore prepare an individual quote only after reviewing your information.

You first send us your information and WBS. After reviewing it, we send you an individual quote. If you accept it and sign the cooperation agreement with us, we organize your documents, prepare the application set and handle the practical search for your WBS apartment within the agreed scope of service.

We review your information and WBS and then prepare an individual quote. Practical work begins only after you accept the quote and sign the cooperation agreement with us. This is not a rental agreement.

We monitor the major property portals and the listing pages of Berlin housing companies and property developers. Our search is not limited to ImmobilienScout24.

For every listing we identify that matches the agreed search profile and is still available, we submit an application if applications are still being accepted and we have a complete, up-to-date set of documents.

When a viewing is offered, we inform you and agree the appointment and next steps with you. You normally attend the viewing yourself. If you have booked our additional viewing attendance service, a member of our team attends the appointment for you.

Yes. We help you understand what the form fields ask for and complete the forms from the information you provide. We also organize your documents and set out the facts and reasons you have given us in clear German. You review, approve or sign and send the documents yourself.

No. We explain what information the form fields ask for, enter your details, organize the documents provided and set out the facts and reasons you have given us in clear German. You receive the completed documents for your personal review.

No. Depending on the agreed scope of service, we also help with the next organizational steps relating to the rental agreement, moving and moving in. This may include help completing and organizing further forms and documents.

No. We can handle the agreed work in the search process, but we cannot promise an apartment or a fixed time frame. The relevant landlord or property management company decides whether to offer a rental agreement.

No. Our service commitment concerns the careful organizational preparation of the agreed forms and documents. Only the competent authority decides whether costs or another benefit will be approved.

No. WBS Wohnung Finder is a service of Pano 3D Tour e.K. for the practical WBS apartment search. We do not own apartments and receive no commission from landlords or housing companies.

A valid WBS is required for our active WBS apartment search service. Without a valid WBS, you cannot apply for WBS-restricted apartments for which corresponding proof is required.

Yes, under certain conditions.

If you want to limit the search area, please provide a written list of postal codes.

Please note:

• A restriction reduces the number of suitable listings.
• Suitable WBS apartments appear only rarely in some areas.
• The search may take longer.
• Time frames and results cannot be predicted in advance.
• A restriction may affect the scope and organization of our service.

From an organizational perspective, a Berlin-wide search is often more effective because it allows us to consider more suitable listings.

You can tell us about relevant requirements.

However, the market for WBS apartments is very limited. Features such as a balcony, specific floors or special layouts cannot be guaranteed and are treated as binding only when objectively necessary, for example for health reasons.

Actual availability depends on the housing market.

No. Our service is exclusively focused on the WBS apartment search in Berlin.

At the beginning, we need a valid WBS, a rent-debt clearance certificate, current proof of income or a current benefit notice and a current SCHUFA report.

While we work together, you keep your documents up to date, stay in contact with us, attend agreed appointments reliably and on time, forward important messages to us and send the documents for the authorities prepared by us yourself through your personal account. If you have booked our additional viewing attendance service, a member of our team attends the viewing for you.

No. While we work together, applications for WBS apartments are submitted only through our service. You may continue to apply independently for apartments that do not require a WBS.

This avoids duplicate contacts, conflicting documents and uncertainty for landlords and property management companies.

Yes, within certain limits.

Clients may turn down up to three apartments without an objective reason if the apartment meets the agreed WBS criteria.

Objective reasons include, for example:

• the apartment does not meet the WBS requirements
• the rent exceeds the permitted limits
• required accessibility is missing
• significant structural or legal defects

Personal preferences are not considered an objective reason.

After three unjustified refusals, the active search may be ended in accordance with the contractual terms.

Yes. If you have booked our additional viewing attendance service, a member of our team attends the viewing for you. Afterwards, you receive a short summary and, where possible and permitted on site, photos or video.

An in-person meeting at our office takes place when the cooperation agreement is signed. Viewings and other necessary appointments are coordinated separately during the process.

No. After reviewing your information, we first send you an individual quote. Paid cooperation begins only after you accept the quote and sign the cooperation agreement.

Searching for a WBS apartment requires ongoing market monitoring, applications, document work, deadline tracking and communication. Each client therefore begins through the form. An in-person meeting at our office takes place when the agreement is signed.

Yes. Before paid cooperation begins, we sign a legally binding cooperation agreement with every client.

Yes.

WBS Wohnung Finder is a service of Pano 3D Tour e.K. The company is registered in the Commercial Register. The register court is Amtsgericht Charlottenburg in Berlin. Handwerkskammer Berlin is listed in the company details as the competent chamber.

A WBS (Wohnberechtigungsschein) is an official certificate issued by the Berlin authorities.

It entitles you to apply for publicly subsidized housing, also known as social housing.

A WBS does not guarantee an apartment. It only allows you to apply for apartments intended for households with limited income.

Eligibility mainly depends on:

• total household income
• the number of people in the household
• residence status
• in some cases, special social or health circumstances

The competent district office reviews the submitted documents and makes the final decision.

For an initial estimate, you can use one of the available online WBS calculators. These calculators are for guidance only. The authority always makes the final decision.

Official information from the State of Berlin:
service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120671/

Berlin has different WBS categories based on the applicable income limits and the relevant funding programme. A WBS 100 or WBS 140 is required for almost all social housing; depending on the funding model, WBS 160, 180 or 220 may also apply.

The category that applies to your household depends particularly on:

• assessable household income
• the number of people in the household
• any additional legal requirements

The category determines which subsidized apartments you may apply for. The competent district office always makes the final classification.

Further official information:
berlin.de … Wohnberechtigungsschein

The number indicates the income level within which a WBS can be issued.

• WBS 100 means that the standard income limit is met.
• WBS 140 means that income may be up to 40% above this limit.
• WBS 160, 180 and 220 represent correspondingly higher income limits.

Important:

• Classification depends not only on income but also on household size.
• The WBS category determines which subsidized apartments you may be considered for.
• A higher category does not automatically mean better chances of obtaining an apartment.

The competent district office always makes the final classification.

In certain cases, a special housing need may also be recognized.

This is not about personal preferences but objectively verifiable reasons, for example:

• unsuitable housing conditions
• a recognized severe disability
• medically required accessibility
• an instruction to move to an appropriately priced apartment
• particular social hardship

Separate requirements apply to recognition of a special housing need. In Berlin, the person seeking housing generally needs to have been registered in the city for at least one year. Only the competent authority makes the decision.

Special types of housing or additional requirements may also be relevant for older people or people with disabilities. Here too, the decision is made not by the landlord or our service, but only by the competent authority.

The application is submitted to the competent district office.

Official information about applying:
service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/120671/

The following documents are generally required:

• proof of income
• identity documents
• registration certificate
• information about all household members

The authority reviews the documents and issues the WBS if all requirements are met.

Processing times depend on the district office and its current workload. A fixed time frame generally cannot be promised in advance.

We have no influence over how long the authority takes to process the application.

A WBS is generally valid for one year from the date of issue.

During this period, you can apply for WBS apartments. A new WBS must be requested after it expires.

For our search, we need the page of your WBS that states the permitted apartment size and number of rooms. This is usually page 5. Please check the page number in your document.

In Berlin, a one-person household can generally qualify for apartments of up to 50 square metres. This may include one-and-a-half-room or two-room apartments.

Whether a specific apartment can actually be considered for one person also depends on the listing requirements, the landlord’s conditions and the individual case.

For this reason, our search considers not only the formal WBS rules but also what is accepted in practice for each listing.