ImmoScout24 Barred from Promoting Credit Reports After Court Ruling

ImmoScout24, Germany's leading real estate marketplace and part of the publicly listed Scout24, has been banned from advertising Schufa credit reports in its advertising after being found guilty of misleading marketing.

The Berlin Regional Court ruled that ImmoScout24 may not advise tenants to bring a folder of documents to property viewings, for which the company labelled a Schufa credit part an "important part" of such a dossier. The wording of the portal's claims was deemed "inadmissible" because it wrongly implied that submitting a Schufa report during a property viewing was common practice.

Immoscout24 now faces potential fines of up to €250,000 if it fails to comply with the court’s ruling, but the company has already filed an appeal against the ruling, thereby escalating the case to the Berlin Higher Regional Court.

ImmoScout had offered a paid Schufa credit check on its platform for €29.95, accompanied by messages implying that landlords "increasingly require" the check even during viewings, saying:

Especially in large cities with limited housing supply, viewings resemble a job interview, where potential tenants bring a folder with all relevant personal documents. The SCHUFA report is an important part of this application folder.

But the Federation of German Consumer Organisations filed against ImmoScout24, arguing that the portal's statements falsely suggested that landlords could demand such reports despite not being legally permissible. Landlords may only request a Schufa report when a rental agreement is imminent, while an earlier request would fall foul of data privacy laws.

ImmoScout24 was also investigated for breaches of data privacy practices by allowing its users to disclose personal information such as employment and smoking habits. The court said this data collection was inadmissible because the accompanying communications—around the required level of voluntary and unambiguous consent—were lacking. However, ImmoScout24 argued the process was legally compliant and voluntary.

A spokesperson for ImmoScout24 said:

"Our statements regarding the Schufa credit check are not misleading; rather, we have already pointed out the legal situation in the past and continue to do so explicitly and transparently."

Meanwhile, Schufa was coy, saying "the advertising statements are the responsibility of our cooperation partners."

Scout24 will be added to the DAX Index next week, joining the likes of Audi, Porsche, Siemens, and Volkswagen as one of the 40 most powerful publicly listed companies in Germany. The announcement came weeks after the Group announced quarterly revenues of €161 million in its Q2 filings for 2025,