Schufa

The landlords often ask for a Schufa statement, to assure that you, as a tenant, can pay the rent regularly and on time. Some of the landlords or the property management demand to see your Schufa statement at the first inspection of the rental. Others ask for Schufa statement along with other documents, at the latest, when you apply for the apartment.

Once a year you can apply for and receive a free Schufa report. The main purpose of this annual report is for you to check the accuracy of all the data collected about you. Here is a step by step guide to ordering a free Schufa report:

• Go to the page meineSCHUFA.de. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. In the black area down there find "Datenübersicht nach § 34 Bundesdatenschutzgesetz" (which means "Data overview according to § 34 Federal Data Protection Act"). Click on the link " Datenkopie beantragen”.
• You will again land on a page where you find a copy of your data. Click on the yellow link "Jetzt beantragen" to apply for a copy. 
• Enter your personal data step by step in the form. You will then be asked to upload a copy of ID or passport and your registration certificate ("Meldebescheinigung").
• You should receive your Schufa report by mail within one to two weeks. If you cannot wait this long, you will probably have to apply for the paid version of the report.

Important: According to the immobilienscout24.de website, free information is usually not enough when applying for a flat, as landlords often require a credit report for a fee.

No. No landlord has a legal claim to the Schufa information. But if you don't provide this data, your chance of finding a flat will be considerably reduced. If you have ordered a paid Schufa report, you can simply give the landlord a copy. If you have requested the free Schufa information, you should make a copy and black out the details that the landlord does not need to know. The free Schufa information contains all the data that Schufa has collected regarding you, while the landlord only needs to know that you generally have a positive, reliable record. According to the immobilienscout24.de website, however, it is common for landlords to request a credit report for a fee.

If you apply for a loan from a bank, for instance, the bank makes a Schufa inquiry. As part of this investigation, the bank seeks relevant data that shows your payment reliability. Depending on your credibility, according to the Schufa report, the bank decides whether to grant you a loan or reject your request. Not only banks but also property managers, telecommunication service providers and car salespeople often have the right to make a Schufa query directly from Schufa Holding AG. But your approval is essential; that is why the second party in the contract asks you to sign a form before they make the inquiry.

Since November 2024, you as a consumer can use the bonify financial platform to view your credit-relevant Schufa data digitally and free of charge, for example, which companies have requested information about your creditworthiness from Schufa in the last 12 months.

In contracts, there is often a "Schufa clause". If you sign a contract with this clause, your data will be forwarded to Schufa Holding AG. With this signature, you also authorise the second parties to make schufa inquiries on you.

Schufa Holding AG stores all personal information (name, first name, date of birth, address and previous places of residence). It also records the information regarding your Bank accounts, mobile phone contracts, instalment payments, dunning and collection procedures, and other contracts and credits. The duration of loans, payment irregularities and contract terminations are also stored.

Since November 2024, you as a consumer can view the information stored about your contracts digitally and free of charge via the bonify financial platform.

The Schufa does not record any information on marital status, employer, income, assets and custody, although the last three may have a positive effect on the consumer's credit score.

According to the Federal Data Protection Act, most of the gathered data must be deleted three years after the gatheing.

Various business enterprises, such as banks and telecommunication service companies, provide data for Schufa Holding AG. Schufa Holding AG is a private company which also finances itself through these different business enterprises. All these enterprises count as lending industries. The Schufa Holding AG only collects the data from the mentioned sources, without any independent research.

The Schufa Holding AG uses the collected data to calculate a score value indicating how creditworthy you are, i.e. how likely it is that you can pay the bill. This calculation can sometimes be flawed. That is why you are entitled to apply for and receive the Schufa statement once a year cost-free so you can react to possible errors. Since November 2024, you can also view your creditworthiness-relevant Schufa data digitally and free of charge via the Bonify financial platform. If you find incorrect information, you can always request a correction in writing.

The Consumer Center portal provides counselling on this topic.