How to find a flat in Germany: documents and scams

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

In German cities there are many more applicants than flats. Landlords often choose the first person who meets the requirements, so speed and a complete set of documents count for more than anything else.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source named at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

1. Search online first

   Most flats are advertised on portals such as Immobilienscout24, Immonet and Kleinanzeigen, and rooms in shared flats on WG-gesucht. Set up alerts and answer new adverts within hours.

   Done

2. Consider a shared flat to begin with

   A room in a shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft, WG) is easier to get than a flat of your own. The people who live there decide, and they ask for fewer papers.

   Done

3. Prepare your folder

   Landlords usually ask for: the Mieterselbstauskunft, a form with your details, job and income; a Schufa credit report; payslips for the last three months, or your work contract if you are new; copies of your passport and residence permit; and a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung, a note from your previous landlord that the rent was always paid. Have everything on paper and as one PDF file.

   Done

4. New in Germany and no Schufa yet?

   Say so in your cover letter, and offer what you have instead: the work contract, a letter from your employer, bank statements. See Schufa in Germany: what it is and how to get your free report.

   Done

5. Go to the viewing well prepared

   Arrive on time, hand over the folder, and send a short friendly message afterwards with the PDF. A few lines about who you are and what you do help more than people expect.

   Done

6. Watch for scams

   Warning signs are a rent far below the usual level, a landlord who is abroad and will send the keys by post, and any request for money before a viewing. Do not transfer a deposit or a reservation fee for a flat you have not seen. Do not send money through transfer services.

   Done

7. Pay only after signing

   The rule from the consumer advisers is short: pay nothing before you have signed the rental contract and have the keys in your hand.

   Done

Good to know

An estate agent may only charge you if you hired the agent yourself and a contract was signed. If the landlord hired the agent, the landlord pays.

Housing cooperatives (Wohnungsgenossenschaften) rent out flats below market prices to their members. You buy shares, usually a few hundred to a few thousand euros, which you get back when you leave. Waiting lists are common.

With a low income you may qualify for a certificate for subsidised housing (WBS) or for housing benefit (Wohngeld). Ask at your town hall.

Before you sign, read rental contracts in Germany: deposit, notice and costs explained.

In short: Portals and alerts, a complete folder (Selbstauskunft, Schufa, payslips, ID, rent certificate), be quick, and never pay before contract and keys.