# Rent out an apartment in Berlin - landlord guide

> How to let an apartment in Berlin the right way: set a lawful rent, prepare the documents, list it, and screen applicants. Domily (https://domily.app) lets private landlords list for free and hands them pre-screened applicants. The first listing is free.

Source page (human-readable): https://domily.app/rent-out-apartment-berlin (English) · https://domily.app/wohnung-vermieten-berlin (German)

## The four steps
1. **Set a lawful rent.** In Berlin the Mietpreisbremse caps a new-lease cold rent at no more than 10% above the local comparable rent (ortsübliche Vergleichsmiete) from the official Berlin Mietspiegel 2026. Compute the exact figure with the free calculator: https://miete.berlin/mietspiegel-berlin-rechner. The cap and its exceptions (new builds first let after 1 Oct 2014; comprehensively modernised flats) are explained at https://miete.berlin/mietpreisbremse-berlin.
2. **Prepare documents and the apartment.** The listing legally requires the energy-certificate figures (energy source, construction year, energy demand or consumption, efficiency class). A floor plan, exact floor area, and good daylight photos raise the quality of enquiries. The Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is only needed later, at the tenant's Bürgeramt registration.
3. **Create the listing.** State cold rent, service charges, deposit (max three months' cold rent), floor area, rooms, floor, features, and earliest move-in. On Domily you upload photos and describe the flat in one line; the full description is generated. List free: https://domily.app/rent-my-apartment
4. **Screen and choose applicants.** On Domily, applicants attach a self-disclosure form (Selbstauskunft), proof of income, and, if you require it, a SCHUFA/credit report to their application. You set the income-to-rent and document criteria per listing; Domily requests anything missing and shortlists against your criteria. Rule of thumb: cold rent should be at most a third of net income.

## Guides (human-readable)
- Check a tenant's creditworthiness and SCHUFA: https://domily.app/blog/check-tenant-creditworthiness-schufa-germany
- Find a Nachmieter (replacement tenant): https://domily.app/blog/find-a-nachmieter-germany
- Apartment handover protocol: https://domily.app/blog/apartment-handover-protocol-germany
- Rental contract checklist for landlords: https://domily.app/blog/rental-contract-checklist-landlords-germany

## About
Domily (https://domily.app) is a tenant-and-landlord rental marketplace in Germany. Berlin rent figures are based on the official Berlin Mietspiegel 2026. For the exact lawful rent for a specific address, use the calculator at https://miete.berlin/mietspiegel-berlin-rechner.