What is SCHUFA and why do landlords ask for it?
SCHUFA (Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung) is Germany's main consumer credit bureau. Founded in 1927, it collects data on financial behaviour — bank accounts opened, loans taken, phone contracts signed, missed payments — from member institutions (banks, mobile carriers, landlords, retailers) and calculates a creditworthiness score from this data.
What SCHUFA tracks:
- German bank accounts (opening and closure)
- Loans, mortgages, credit lines
- Mobile phone contracts (Verträge — not prepaid SIM cards)
- Credit cards
- Missed payments or debt collection (Inkasso) proceedings
- Insolvency filings
- Address history (linked to your Anmeldung)
What SCHUFA does NOT track:
- Your income or employment status
- Your savings or assets
- Prepaid phone usage
- EU or foreign credit history
Why landlords ask for SCHUFA: German rental culture is risk-averse. Landlords receive dozens of applications per apartment and use the SCHUFA report to screen for people with a history of missed payments or unpaid debts. A clean SCHUFA is a standard requirement, not a formality — missing it from your application significantly hurts your chances.
SCHUFA score explained: Your SCHUFA score (called a "Basisscore") runs from 0 to 100%. A higher score means lower credit risk. Scores above 97.5% are considered very good. New arrivals with no history start around 97–98% — not bad, but the absence of history means landlords can't verify past reliability.
Free SCHUFA vs paid BonitätsAuskunft — which do you need?
Option 1: Free SCHUFA copy under §34 BDSG (for yourself) Under German data protection law (§34 BDSG), you can request a free copy of all data SCHUFA holds about you once per year. This is called a "Datenkopie" or "SCHUFA-Selbstauskunft."
What it contains: everything SCHUFA knows about you, including your score, all tracked accounts, and any negative entries.
What it doesn't do: it is NOT in the standardised certificate format that landlords want. It arrives by post in 3–6 weeks. Use it to check your data for errors, not as a document to hand to a landlord.
How to request the free copy: go to datenkopie.schufa.de, fill in your details, and submit by post or online. It will arrive by letter at your registered address.
Option 2: Paid BonitätsAuskunft (~€29.95 — for landlords) This is the official certificate landlords actually ask for. Available at meineSCHUFA.de (and via SCHUFA's app). Once you pay, you can download it immediately as a PDF.
It includes:
- Your SCHUFA score as a percentage
- A confirmation that no negative entries exist (or a list of entries if they do)
- A validity statement
Landlords treat this as the standard document. It has no official expiry, but landlords increasingly prefer reports less than 3 months old. Download a fresh one when you start apartment hunting.
Cost summary:
| Option | Cost | Format | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| §34 BDSG Datenkopie | Free | Letter (3–6 weeks) | Check your own data for errors |
| BonitätsAuskunft | ~€29.95 | PDF (instant download) | Landlord applications |
| Bonify app | Free | App display only | Monitor score continuously |
No SCHUFA history as a new expat — what this means and how to get housing anyway
When you first arrive in Germany, SCHUFA has no data on you. This is not the same as a bad SCHUFA — it just means there's nothing to report. Your score is essentially "unknown."
How landlords react to no SCHUFA history: Responses vary widely:
- Some landlords refuse to consider applicants without SCHUFA history
- Some treat "no history" as neutral (especially for professional expats with employer letters)
- WG (shared flat) situations rarely require SCHUFA at all
- Furnished short-term rentals (Wohnung auf Zeit) typically don't ask for SCHUFA
What you can provide instead:
| Alternative document | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Employer letter (Arbeitsbestätigung) | Confirms you have a job and income |
| Employment contract or offer letter | Shows stability and salary |
| 3 months' payslips (from abroad or new role) | Demonstrates income |
| Offer to pay multiple months upfront | Reduces landlord's risk — legally capped at 3× monthly cold rent total including deposit |
| Reference letter from previous landlord | Shows payment reliability |
| Bank statements showing savings | Shows financial stability |
Target WG first: If you're arriving and need housing immediately, renting a room in a Wohngemeinschaft (WG/flat share) is the fastest path. Most WG listings don't require SCHUFA and decisions are based on personal fit. This buys you 3–6 months to build credit history and SCHUFA before applying for your own apartment.
Corporate housing or employer-arranged accommodation: Some employers provide temporary accommodation or have corporate arrangements with landlords — ask your employer's HR department before you arrive.
How to get your SCHUFA report (step by step)
Prerequisites before you can get a paid SCHUFA BonitätsAuskunft:
- You must have a German address (Anmeldung required — SCHUFA sends verification to your registered address)
- You must have some SCHUFA history (even one bank account opened in Germany creates an entry)
If you just arrived and have done neither Anmeldung nor opened a German bank account, you cannot yet get a paid SCHUFA report. Do Anmeldung first, then open a bank account, then wait 1–2 weeks before applying.
Step 1: Go to meineSCHUFA.de Create an account using your German address. SCHUFA will send a verification code to your registered address by post (takes about 1 week). Once verified, you can access your data.
Step 2: Order the BonitätsAuskunft Under "Produkte" → "BonitätsAuskunft", order the standard PDF certificate for ~€29.95.
Step 3: Download and save Once paid, the PDF is available immediately. Download it and keep a digital copy — landlords may ask you to upload it to a portal or email it.
Step 4: Include it in every apartment application Attach the SCHUFA PDF to every apartment application alongside your Selbstauskunft (self-declaration form typically provided by the landlord), proof of income, and cover letter.