Myth Check: What landlords are allowed to ask in rental applications
04.05.2026
We take common real estate and housing myths under the microscope and show you what’s actually true.
Myth: “It’s my apartment that I’m renting out – so I can ask applicants whatever I like.”
❌ That’s not true.
Even if the apartment belongs to you, you can’t ask applicants just anything when renting it out. The principle of proportionality applies—only questions that are genuinely relevant to the tenancy are permitted.
What are landlords allowed to ask?
Questions that help assess who a person is and whether they can reliably afford the apartment are generally permitted, for example:
- Personal details
- Employment status and income
- Number of people moving in
- Debt collection extract
- Cars and pets
In short: anything directly related to the use of the apartment or the applicant’s ability to pay.
What is problematic or not allowed?
Questions that are unrelated to the tenancy or invade someone’s privacy are problematic or not permitted, for example:
- Religion or political views
- Health conditions
- Membership in a tenants’ association
- Marital status
- Family planning
Such questions can be discriminatory and are generally not legally permitted.
