How do applicants share their SCHUFA on Domily?

They attach it to their application themselves. When someone applies to your listing they complete a structured profile and upload the documents you require, such as proof of income and, if you ask for it, a SCHUFA or credit report. You never collect paperwork at a viewing; you set the criteria and review each applicant's profile.

What is a good SCHUFA score for a tenant?

The SCHUFA base score is shown as a percentage. Above roughly 95% signals a low risk of payment default. What matters more is the absence of hard negative entries (Negativmerkmale) such as unpaid debts, a Mahnbescheid, or an affidavit (eidesstattliche Versicherung).

What happens to an applicant's documents after I decide?

On Domily the documents stay with the application on the platform, so you review them in place rather than downloading and storing them yourself. Retaining the financial documents of applicants you rejected is hard to justify under the data-minimisation principle, so leaving them with the application is the cleaner approach.

How much income should a tenant have?

The common rule of thumb is that the cold rent should not exceed about a third of net monthly household income, which means income of roughly three times the cold rent. It is guidance, not law, so weigh it together with savings and job stability.

Is a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung reliable proof?

Only partly. A current landlord who is glad to see a tenant leave may sign one regardless, and there is no legal duty to issue it. Treat it as one signal among several rather than a guarantee.

How Landlords Check a Tenant's Creditworthiness in Germany (SCHUFA, 2026)

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. We take no liability for actions based on this content.

Screening a tenant is the single most consequential decision a landlord makes. A reliable tenant pays on time for years; the wrong one can mean months of lost rent and a slow, expensive eviction. In Germany you are allowed to check an applicant's creditworthiness, but only within data-protection limits. This guide explains what creditworthiness means, how to read the documents, and how Domily collects them from applicants the compliant way.

Why creditworthiness matters more than a good impression

At a viewing you meet friendly, well-presented people. That tells you almost nothing about whether the rent will arrive on the first of every month for the next five years. Payment reliability is what you are actually buying, and it is not visible in a handshake. That is why a small, structured set of documents beats gut feeling every time.

The good news: you do not need many documents. Three signals cover most of the risk - a self-disclosure form, proof of income, and a credit report. The art is collecting them at the right moment and reading them correctly.

How screening works on Domily

On Domily you do not collect documents at a viewing at all. Every applicant completes the same structured profile when they apply and attaches the documents you require - proof of income, and a SCHUFA or credit report if you ask for one. You set the criteria once per listing, for example an income-to-rent ratio and which documents are mandatory, and the platform requests anything missing and ranks the applicants who meet them. See the full flow in the guide to renting out an apartment in Berlin.

This is also the cleaner answer to data protection. German law (DSGVO/GDPR) says you may only collect what is necessary for the tenancy decision, which is why demanding a SCHUFA report from everyone at a mass viewing is disproportionate. Because Domily applicants share their details deliberately, as part of applying to your specific listing, you only ever see information the applicant chose to provide for exactly that purpose, and it stays with the application rather than in your own inbox.

The documents that prove creditworthiness

Selbstauskunft (self-disclosure form). The applicant's own statement: name, employer, income, number of occupants, pets, and whether insolvency proceedings are pending. It is the backbone of the file.
SCHUFA report. Applicants can obtain the paid SCHUFA-BonitätsCheck made for landlords, or the free data copy (Datenkopie under Art. 15 GDPR). Either shows the base score and, crucially, any negative entries.
Proof of income (Einkommensnachweis). Usually the last three payslips, or for the self-employed a tax assessment (Steuerbescheid) or a BWA from a tax adviser. See our guide on proof of income for renting in Germany.
Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung. A note from the previous landlord confirming no rent debts. Useful but not decisive, since there is no duty to issue it.

How to read a SCHUFA report

Two things matter. First, the base score as a percentage: higher is better, and above roughly 95% indicates low default risk. Second, and more important, the negative entries. A single hard entry - an unpaid, undisputed debt, a court order (Mahnbescheid or Vollstreckungsbescheid), or an affidavit of assets - outweighs a middling score. A clean report with no negative entries is worth more than a high score sitting next to an open debt.

The one-third rule

The widely used benchmark is that cold rent should be at most a third of net household income, so you are looking for income of about three times the cold rent. Treat it as a guide: substantial savings, a permanent contract, or a guarantor (Bürge) can offset income that sits a little below the line.

Questions you may not ask

Some questions are off-limits regardless of stage: pregnancy, family planning, religion, political affiliation, ethnic origin, or membership of a tenants' association. Applicants are even entitled to answer certain impermissible questions untruthfully without consequence, so asking them gains you nothing and exposes you legally.

Set a lawful rent before you screen

Screening is step four of letting an apartment; pricing is step one. If your asking rent is above the legal limit, even a perfect applicant is a problem waiting to happen. Check the lawful figure with the free Berlin Mietspiegel calculator, and see the full process in our guide to renting out an apartment in Berlin. If you are replacing a tenant mid-lease, the Nachmieter guide covers who screens whom.