A SCHUFA record

SCHUFA is a private company that holds credit information, and a landlord may ask for suitable proof of creditworthiness. You can request a free copy of any information SCHUFA holds about you under data-protection law.

In short

• Order the free Datenkopie from SCHUFA itself. SCHUFA says it charges no fee. A website that orders it for you may charge a fee that does not go to SCHUFA.
• No tenancy statute on the housing pages requires you to buy a report, and a new resident often has nothing on file. Ask the landlord what they will accept.
• The twelve criteria below describe the new score. Companies may still use older models during the transition through the end of 2028. In the new model, an open unpaid default means no score. A settled default generally weighs on the score and remains stored for up to three years. SCHUFA shortens deletion of a single settled default to 18 months when it was settled within 100 days of the report, no further negative entry is reported before that period ends, and there is no public debtor-register or insolvency entry.
• An older bank contract, an older credit card, and a longer time at the same address weigh up. Three or more new accounts, credit cards, or inquiries for them in twelve months weigh down. Several inside 28 days count once.
• SCHUFA does not decide whether you get a flat or a loan. There is no national pass mark for renting a home.

What you need to know

The tenancy statutes on the housing pages do not require every landlord to demand a SCHUFA report, and you do not have to buy one before you arrive. Ask what proof the landlord will accept. A missing record does not by itself mean your application has failed.

SCHUFA is a private company, separate from the Finanzamt, your bank and the Bürgeramt. A German current account can lead to entries later because banks and other firms report to credit bureaus. The twelve criteria for SCHUFA’s new score are explained below; they do not list every contract a firm can report. There is no national pass mark for a flat.

SCHUFA says the free Datenkopie is how it meets the right of access in Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation, and that SCHUFA charges no fee for it. The copy shows the information stored about you, where it came from, and who received it. It is for you. SCHUFA says it contains sensitive data and is meant as personal information.

The federal and Land data-protection supervisors say landlords must not demand the comprehensive Article 15 copy; appropriate creditworthiness proof contains only the information needed for the tenancy.

What moves the score

The twelve criteria below explain the new SCHUFA score, available to consumers since March 2026. Companies are switching to it through the end of 2028, so a bank or another company may still use an older model. SCHUFA says the new score uses data that also appears in the free copy. It says it does not store nationality or sensitive categories under Article 9 of the GDPR, such as ethnic origin or political or religious views, and does not use social networks. The score is one part of a decision: SCHUFA says the bank, shop or landlord decides, and a bank also looks at other facts such as the household’s available income.

SCHUFA says these weigh toward a higher score:

• The age of your oldest bank contract that carries a credit risk, such as a current account with an overdraft, a credit card, a lease, a guarantee, or a loan. Longer is better. A contract under three months old is the low end. Having none sits above that and below a long-held contract.
• The age of your oldest credit card that comes with a credit limit. If your oldest card is under six months old, it sits at the low end of that criterion. Having no credit card sits above a brand-new card and below a long-held one. A Girocard debit card or a prepaid card is not this type of credit card.
• A longer time at your current address. The first seven months are the low end of that criterion.
• No revolving credit (Rahmenkredit), or at least two years since the most recent one was opened. A new one sits at the low end in its first year. SCHUFA says some banks report a change to the credit limit as a new credit.
• An installment loan repaid in full without a payment default, provided no other installment loan remains open. An open loan, or one settled after a payment default, sits at the low end of this criterion. Having no recorded installment-loan history sits between those cases.
• A mortgage, or a guarantee for a mortgage.
• An identity check that a firm has reported. A bank checks identity when it opens an account, and SCHUFA says a reported check weighs up.
• No installment loan within SCHUFA’s twelve-month criterion is the high end; three or more is the low end. A mortgage is not counted here. Check the dates recorded by SCHUFA and its current calculation guidance before reproducing the score.
• No installment loan, or a longest remaining term across all your installment loans of at most three years. SCHUFA says a remaining term of up to three years does not weigh against the score. A longer remaining term weighs against this criterion.

SCHUFA says these weigh down:

• An open payment default. SCHUFA calculates no score until the claim is settled. For example, SCHUFA describes reporting an undisputed overdue amount left unpaid after at least two written reminders, with a warning given before the report and no earlier than the first reminder, and at least four weeks between that first reminder and the report. A settled payment default generally weighs on the score and remains stored for up to three years, and SCHUFA says that weight fades. SCHUFA shortens deletion of a single settled default to 18 months when it was settled within 100 days of being reported, no further negative entry is reported before that shorter period ends, and there is no entry from the public debtor register or an insolvency notice. An entry from the debtor register or the insolvency register is in the same class: no score while it stands.
• Three or more inquiries, new current accounts, or new credit cards in the past twelve months. None is the high end of that criterion. One or two sit between. Several inquiries or new contracts inside 28 days count once, so comparing accounts and then opening one is not counted as many. Inquiries from outside banks, such as a shop or a mobile-phone contract, are a separate criterion over those twelve months: none or one is the high end, and four or more is the low end. The 28-day grouping rule also applies to those inquiries.

SCHUFA says a Basiskonto (basic payment account), a Pfändungsschutzkonto (account with seizure protection), a Tagesgeldkonto (instant-access savings account), and a securities clearing account do not play a role in the new score. An account you use but do not own does not count for the account-and-card criterion.

You do not need to open a card, loan or mortgage just to influence a score. A first credit card and a newly opened revolving credit begin at the low end of their age criteria.

What to do

1. If a landlord asks for a credit report, ask which document they mean, and whether a bank reference is enough while you have no German record. The finding-a-home page explains which information may be requested at each stage, including identity, income evidence and questions you do not have to answer.
2. To see your own data, order the Article 15 copy directly from SCHUFA. SCHUFA says it charges nothing for the copy. A website offering to order it for you may charge a service fee; SCHUFA says the fee is not paid to it and it is not connected with those third parties. If you have already paid one, ask that provider about a refund.
3. Since 17 March 2026 you can also see the new score free of charge in the SCHUFA account or app. SCHUFA says this score replaces the old Basisscore, which is discontinued. The account does not replace the Article 15 Datenkopie, and it is not the certificate a landlord may ask you to share.
4. Use the address and the identity details SCHUFA asks for so the copy is matched to you. Check that the address you give is your current one before you submit the request. The registration certificate shows the address you registered. It is not itself a credit record.
5. Read the copy when it arrives and tell SCHUFA if an entry is wrong. Keep the correspondence and ask SCHUFA how the correction will appear in a landlord’s later request.
6. The free copy is different from SCHUFA’s paid reports. If a landlord names a particular product, ask what they will accept before paying. A paid report does not guarantee you will get the flat.

Common mistakes

• Buying a report on the day you land because an advert said every flat requires one. A new resident often has no contracts on file. Ask the landlord what they will accept.
• Sending a passport scan to an address that is not SCHUFA’s own order page. The free copy is ordered from SCHUFA. A lookalike form is not the Article 15 request.
• Assuming the comprehensive free personal copy is the same as a certificate for a landlord. Ask which appropriate creditworthiness proof or alternative is accepted; the supervisors say landlords must not demand the Article 15 copy.
• Treating a SCHUFA entry as a judgment about your residence or your tax. It is a private credit record. The Ausländerbehörde and the Finanzamt do not issue it.
• Opening extra accounts, cards, or installment loans merely to influence a score. Multiple new account/card inquiries or installment loans can lower the corresponding criteria. A first credit card and a newly opened revolving credit start at the low end of their age criteria.