Your rental application pack
After the viewing, what counts is who submits complete documents first. Here is what Berlin landlords ask for — and what they may not ask for. Add your files and download everything as one cleanly named ZIP.
Your documents never leave your browser. This page uploads nothing — the ZIP is created on your device. We see neither the files nor their names.
Mieterselbstauskunft
Name, address, occupation, household size, pets. There is no standard form — every landlord and every Makler uses their own.
Keep a neutral version of your own, with no reference to a particular flat, and hand that over at viewings. Do not pass on a Makler's completed form: it names someone else's flat, and it often contains answers to impermissible questions you would not have to give the next landlord at all. If a landlord gives you their own form, fill in theirs. Answer lawful questions truthfully — a false statement can later justify termination.
Kurzes Anschreiben
only if applicableNot required, and at degewo, HOWOGE, WBM and the rest there is no field for it — only the form counts there.
With Makler, private landlords and for handing over at a viewing it is worth it: five to eight lines on who you are, what you do, when you can move in and why the flat fits. Not a life story — it gets read in twenty seconds alongside eighty others.
Einkommensnachweise
Your last three payslips. Self-employed: BWA or tax assessment.
Landlords' rule of thumb: the Kaltmiete should be no more than a third of your net income.
SCHUFA-Bonitätsnachweis
No older than 2 months. And not the free Datenkopie under Art. 15 GDPR — that one is for you, not for landlords.
Many landlords write \u201eno older than three months\u201c, but the verification code on the online document expires after roughly 60 days — so stick to two months and you are safe either way. You get it as a PDF within minutes: identify yourself via online banking or ID card and it lands in your inbox; only the postal route takes days. Tip: the SCHUFA-BonitätsCheck (via Postbank, Deutsche Bank, Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken, ImmoScout24 among others) contains only the information relevant to landlords — the full BonitätsAuskunft for €29.95 has a second sheet of personal data no landlord needs to see. meineschufa.de
Ausweiskopie
ID card or passport, front and back.
You may redact the document number and access number — the landlord only needs your name and date of birth.
Aufenthaltstitel
only if applicableOnly relevant if you are not an EU national: Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Niederlassungserlaubnis or EU Blue Card.
A landlord may not ask about your nationality — it is irrelevant to a tenancy. They may ask to see the residence permit where there is a comprehensible reason, for instance because it expires before the lease would. Anything beyond that you may redact. Being rejected solely because of your origin is discrimination under the AGG.
Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung
only if applicableConfirmation from your current landlord that there are no rent arrears.
Often demanded, but no landlord is obliged to issue one — and none can compel it. Bank statements showing your recent rent payments will do instead; redact everything else.
WBS (falls vorhanden)
only if applicableWohnberechtigungsschein — only needed for subsidised flats, but mandatory there.
Don't have one yet? The WBS calculator shows you in 30 seconds which level you are entitled to. WBS-Rechner
Bürgschaft (falls nötig)
only if applicableFor trainees, students or low income: a guarantee declaration plus proof of the guarantor's income.
Required documents are still missing — you can download anyway.
What a landlord may not ask
You do not have to answer these questions truthfully, and an untrue answer to them cannot be held against you later. Lawful questions are different: there an untrue answer can cost you the tenancy.
- ✕Nationality, origin, migration history
- ✕Criminal record or ongoing investigations
- ✕Party or tenants' association membership
- ✕Religion (except for church-affiliated housing companies)
- ✕Sexual orientation
- ✕Illnesses or disabilities
- ✕Pregnancy and family planning
- ✕Reason for moving
- ✕Hobbies, taste in music, how often you have visitors
Source: Berliner MieterGemeinschaft e. V. — not legal advice.
The pack only helps if you get invited
23.3 % of new Berlin listings are gone within four hours. WohnAutopilot monitors eight housing providers around the clock and applies in your name in under five minutes — so that you get to the viewing at all.
Create your profile in 5 minutes →Frequently asked questions
Do my documents leave the browser?+
No. This page uploads nothing. The files stay in your device's memory, the ZIP is created locally, and we see neither the files nor their names. Reload the page and everything is gone.
Can I submit the same Mieterselbstauskunft to every provider?+
There is no standard form — every landlord uses their own. At the big Berlin companies (degewo, HOWOGE, WBM …) you enter the details directly in their online form anyway, so no PDF is uploaded. A neutral version of your own is worth having mainly for Makler, private landlords and for handing over at a viewing. Do not pass on another provider's completed form: it names someone else's flat and often contains answers to questions the next landlord is not allowed to ask.
Do I need to bring the documents to the viewing?+
No — only the chosen applicant has to produce the full set. But bringing them anyway is an advantage at mass viewings, because you can hand them over on the spot.
May I redact parts of my bank statements?+
Yes. The landlord may check whether you can pay the rent — not what you spend your money on. Redact everything except the rent payments and your salary.
What if I am asked an impermissible question?+
You do not have to answer impermissible questions truthfully, and an untrue answer cannot be held against you later. Lawful questions are different — there a false statement can put the tenancy at risk.
How long may the landlord keep the documents?+
Only for as long as the selection process runs. After that, rejected applicants' documents must be deleted or destroyed.