The Schufa Score: What It Is, What Landlords Ask For and How Newcomers Can Prepare

Sep 25

4 min read

Landlords in Germany routinely ask for a Schufa-Auskunft before they sign a lease. The Schufa is Germany's largest credit agency, and almost every adult living in Germany has data stored with it. According to Schufa, more than 90% of the people it holds data on have only positive entries. For newcomers, the main questions are what the Schufa actually records, which document a landlord wants to see and what to do while the German history is still short.

What the Schufa records

The Schufa (Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung) does not collect data on its own. Its contractual partners report to it, mainly banks, credit card issuers and other companies that give credit. Typical entries are current accounts, credit cards, loans and installment agreements, and whether these are being paid as agreed. Negative entries, such as a payment default that was properly reported, stay on file for a set period. Depending on the type of entry, that period ranges from a few months to several years.

Income, savings and nationality are not what the score is built on. Ordinary bills, such as rent or electricity, are generally not reported just because they are paid on time. They matter when they are not paid and the claim is reported as a default.

What the score means

The Schufa score is a statistical forecast of how likely it is that a person will meet future payment obligations. On 17 March 2026, Schufa introduced a new score on a scale from 100 to 999 points, calculated from 12 criteria that Schufa now publishes. The higher the score, the better. It is replacing the older model, in which consumers saw a base score expressed as a percentage and businesses received separate industry scores tailored to their sector. The changeover is gradual: when the new score launched, only about a quarter of Schufa's business partners were using it, so you may still come across the percentage-based score for some time.

Schufa does not decide whether a landlord or bank accepts you. Each company decides for itself and often uses its own data as well.

How the score develops

No single factor decides the score. Schufa names a few points that work in your favor:

Paying installments and bills on time, and above all paying them at all.
Staying within agreed limits, for example on an overdraft or a credit card.
Repaying a loan without problems over a longer period, which improves the score over time.

Schufa also says that many current accounts and credit cards at the same time can lower the score, because fully used overdrafts and card limits put a strain on the household budget. Opening accounts and cards just to "build" a record is therefore not a good strategy. One salary account and, if needed, one credit card used within its limit is enough.

Which Schufa document to show a landlord

There are two different documents, and they are easy to confuse.

The free data copy (Datenkopie). Everyone has the right to see what the Schufa stores about them (Art. 15 GDPR). The copy can be requested free of charge on the Schufa website and usually arrives by post within about two weeks. It is meant for your own review. Schufa recommends not passing it on to third parties, because it contains more information than a landlord needs.
The credit report for landlords (SCHUFA-BonitätsAuskunft). This is the short document designed to be shown to a landlord. It is available for a fee, for example as part of the paid meineSCHUFA packages.

Check the free data copy first. If an entry is wrong or incomplete, Schufa's private customer service will correct or delete it once the error is proven.

What landlords may and may not ask

A landlord may ask for a Schufa credit report and proof of income, such as recent payslips, before signing a lease.
Questions unrelated to the ability to pay, for example about pregnancy, religion or ethnic origin, are generally not allowed and can amount to discrimination (see our article on housing discrimination).
A tenant questionnaire (Selbstauskunft) is common. Answers to lawful questions must be true. Questions a landlord is not allowed to ask do not have to be answered truthfully.

Renting with a short German credit history

Someone who has just arrived may have little or no data at the Schufa yet. A short history is not a negative entry, but it gives a landlord less to go on. The application becomes stronger with proof of income or an employment contract, a guarantor (Bürge) or a reference from the employer. Some landlords accept these instead of a long Schufa history. A rental deposit is capped by law at three months' basic rent excluding utilities (§ 551 BGB), so there is no need to offer more to make up for a short record.

Common mistakes

Handing the free data copy to a landlord instead of the credit report designed for that purpose.
Opening several accounts or credit cards to "build" a Schufa record. Schufa says this can lower the score.
Assuming that paying rent and bills on time creates positive entries. Usually it only prevents negative ones.
Not checking the data copy for errors before the apartment search begins.
Offering a deposit above the legal cap to make up for a short record.

When to get a lawyer

The Schufa is rarely a legal matter on its own. If an entry is wrong, start with Schufa's private customer service. If the entry is not corrected, or a landlord's demands cross into discrimination, a lawyer specializing in data protection or tenancy law, or a local tenants' association (Mieterverein), is the right contact.

When housing affects your residence status

Housing problems can spill over into immigration matters. Without an address there is no Anmeldung (address registration), and without it a residence permit application can stall. Fiona Macdonald advises on residence permits and the steps that depend on them. If a housing problem is holding up your permit, you can book a consultation.

Book a consultation with Fiona Macdonald →