Mieterselbstauskunft: the tenant self-disclosure, in English
Almost every German landlord asks for a Mieterselbstauskunft before handing over a contract: a one-page form about who you are, what you earn and who is moving in with you. Applicants who bring it along already filled in look organised – and organised applicants get called back. Fill it in below in English; the finished document comes out in German, because that is what the landlord has to read and file.
Fill in your self-disclosure
Type on the left, watch the German document build on the right. Then save it as a PDF or copy it as text. Only your name is required – leave out anything that does not apply to you.
What goes into a Mieterselbstauskunft
A good self-disclosure answers every question the landlord has, on one page:
- Person & contact: full name, date of birth, current address, phone and email.
- Job & income: employer, type of contract (permanent or fixed-term) and net monthly income. Proof: your last three payslips.
- Household: how many people are moving in, and who they are.
- Current living situation: renting or owning, and your previous landlord if you have one.
- Soft factors: smoker or non-smoker, pets yes or no – answer honestly, it is checked later.
- No rent debts: the confirmation that you have no outstanding rent and no eviction case running against you.
Copy-paste template (German)
If you would rather write it yourself, copy this template and replace the [placeholders]. It is in German on purpose – that is the version you send. Fill it in honestly: false answers to permitted questions can cost you the contract later.
Mieterselbstauskunft
TemplateWorks for property managers, estate agents and private landlords alike.
MIETERSELBSTAUSKUNFT Objekt: [street, number, postcode and city of the flat] 1. Angaben zur Person Name, Vorname: [surname, first name] Geburtsdatum: [DD.MM.YYYY] Aktuelle Anschrift: [street, postcode, city] Telefon: [number] E-Mail: [address] 2. Beruf und Einkommen Beruf / Tätigkeit: [your job] Arbeitgeber: [employer] Beschäftigt seit: [month/year] Art des Arbeitsverhältnisses: [unbefristet = permanent / befristet bis … = fixed-term until …] Monatliches Nettoeinkommen: ca. [amount] € (Nachweis: letzte 3 Gehaltsabrechnungen liegen bei) 3. Haushalt Zahl der einziehenden Personen: [number] Weitere Personen: [names / children with age] 4. Aktuelle Wohnsituation Derzeit wohnhaft: [zur Miete = renting / im Eigentum = owning] Bisheriger Vermieter (optional): [name, contact] 5. Weitere Angaben Raucher: [ja = yes / nein = no] Haustiere: [nein = none / type of pet] Gewerbliche Nutzung geplant: [nein] 6. Erklärung Ich versichere, dass die Angaben der Wahrheit entsprechen. Es bestehen keine offenen Mietschulden, und gegen mich läuft keine Räumungsklage. Ort, Datum: [city, DD.MM.YYYY] Unterschrift: __________________________
Moving in as a couple? List both people with their income. Attach proof (payslips, and a confirmation of no rent debts if you have one) as separate files – do not type them into the text.
Questions a landlord may not ask
Not everything printed on a landlord's own form is legal. You do not have to answer the questions below – and under German case law you may even answer them untruthfully without any disadvantage (the so-called Recht zur Lüge, the right to lie):
Not permitted – no obligation to answer truthfully
- Pregnancy & family planning
- Religion or belief
- Party or trade union membership
- Origin and nationality – discrimination is prohibited
- Illness or disability
- Sexual orientation
- Criminal record – as a rule not permitted
Note: income, occupation and rent debts are legitimate questions, and in practice they decide the matter. This is information, not legal advice – if a landlord insists on something on this list, a tenants' association (Mieterverein) will help.
Fill it in once instead of for every flat
The generator above writes the self-disclosure for this one application. The Chrome extension remembers your profile and writes it for every further one – plus the German application letter and the checklist of documents landlords usually ask for. Free, everything stays local, you decide what you send.
Add to Chrome – free Free · No sign-up · Data stays local · You send it yourselfWhat you need next
The self-disclosure is one part of the folder. These are the others:
Frequently asked questions
What is a Mieterselbstauskunft?
It is a self-disclosure form: before the tenancy agreement, you tell the landlord who you are, what you earn and how many people are moving in. It is not required by law, but in a tight market you will rarely be offered a flat without one. Most landlords hand you their own form – if they do not, you send your own, which is what this page produces.
Do I have to fill in a tenant self-disclosure?
No, there is no legal obligation. In practice, refusing means you will almost certainly not get the flat, because the landlord has no way to judge whether the rent is secure. You do, however, get to leave out any question the landlord is not allowed to ask.
Which questions is a German landlord not allowed to ask?
Pregnancy and family planning, religion, party or trade union membership, origin and nationality, illness or disability, sexual orientation and, as a rule, criminal records. You may leave those unanswered, and German case law allows you to answer them untruthfully without any disadvantage. Income, occupation and rent debts, on the other hand, are legitimate questions.
Does the self-disclosure have to be in German?
It should be. The landlord or the property manager has to read and file it, and an English form often ends up at the bottom of the pile. That is why the generator on this page asks you the questions in English but writes the finished document in German.
What do I attach to the self-disclosure?
Usually your last three payslips, a SCHUFA report and a copy of your ID. If you are new to Germany and have no SCHUFA record yet, an employment contract and a guarantor declaration are the common substitutes. Attach the documents as separate files – do not type their contents into the form.
How do I turn the form into a PDF?
Fill in the generator above and click Save as PDF. Your browser opens its print dialogue, where you choose Save as PDF as the destination. Everything stays in your browser – nothing is stored or sent.