A German landlord does not know the people who apply for an apartment. Many landlords therefore ask for a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung, a certificate that the applicant owes no rent. The landlord the tenant is leaving issues it. The property portal ImmoScout24 describes a related document, the Vorvermieterbescheinigung, in this way. It shows dass du frei von Mietschulden bist und zuverlässig deine Miete gezahlt hast, that you owe no rent and have paid your rent reliably. Landlords usually ask for a Schufa credit report and proof of income as well. On 30 September 2009 the Federal Court of Justice ruled that landlords do not have to issue such a certificate to tenants who move out. The magazine of the Berlin tenants’ association wrote that the highest court had called the practice into question. A tenant without the certificate can show receipts or bank statements instead.
Do Not Hunt for Friends
Adolph Freiherr Knigge published Über den Umgang mit Menschen, On Dealing with People, in 1788. In his chapter on dealing with friends, he gives this advice. Werbe nicht ängstlich um Freunde. Mache nicht Jagd auf jeden guten Mann, daß er Dir besonders zugetan werden soll. Do not court friends anxiously. Do not hunt every good man so that he will become especially attached to you. He gives a reason. Jede Art von Andringlichkeit, wäre sie auch noch so gut gemeint, pflegt in dieser Welt Verdacht zu erwecken. Every kind of pushiness, however well meant, tends to arouse suspicion in this world. A man who quietly follows the path of honesty and good sense does not stay unnoticed. Er findet planlos ein paar Edle, die ihm die Hand zum brüderlichen Bunde reichen. Without any plan, he finds a few noble people who offer him their hand in a brotherly bond.
A Year Before the Lodge Opens Its Door
A man who wants to become a Freemason in Germany is called a Suchender, a seeker. He can begin by attending a lodge’s guest evenings. In May 2026 the Nordkurier reported on the Freemasons in Greifswald. A seeker there may apply for admission after about a year of getting to know each other and gegenseitigem Beschnuppern, sniffing each other out. A 2021 report in the Volksstimme, from the Altmark region, describes the next steps. The lodge examines the seeker. A lodge member is assigned to him as a Bürge, a guarantor, who accompanies him on his first steps. When the examination is complete, a secret vote decides on his admission.
The Fox in a Student Fraternity
A newcomer in a German student fraternity is called a Fuchs, a fox. He is applying for admission. His probation lasts one to three semesters. At most of the meetings, the Convente, he usually has no vote. An older student, the Leibbursch, stands by his Leibfuchs. He advises him and speaks for him at the meeting. After the probation the fox becomes a full member. In a Burschenschaft this step is called the Burschung. In a Corps it is called the Reception.
The Vocabulary of Trust That Grows Slowly
Trau, schau, wem!
Trust, but look at whom. The Duden explains it: one should look closely at a person before trusting him.
sich beschnuppern
To sniff each other, as dogs do. Two people or two groups get to know each other carefully.
mit jemandem warm werden
To grow warm with someone. One slowly comes to feel at ease with a person.
Vertrauen fassen
To take hold of trust. One begins to trust someone.
sich das Vertrauen erst verdienen müssen
To have to earn someone’s trust first.
erst einmal abwarten
To wait and see first.
Fuß fassen
To gain a foothold. One becomes established in a new place or a new job.
Anschluss finden
To find a connection. One is taken into a group.
A Bushel of Salt
In Goethe’s verse epic Hermann und Dorothea, published in 1797, young Hermann wants to marry a refugee girl. In the sixth canto, the town apothecary urges caution. Trüget doch öfter der Schein! Ich mag dem Äußern nicht trauen. Appearances often deceive. I do not like to trust the outside. He cites a proverb that he has often found to be true. Eh’ du den Scheffel Salz mit dem neuen Bekannten verzehret, / Darfst du nicht leichtlich ihm trauen; dich macht die Zeit nur gewisser, / Wie du es habest mit ihm und wie die Freundschaft bestehe. Before you have eaten a bushel of salt with a new acquaintance, you should not trust him easily. Only time makes you more certain where you stand with him and how firm the friendship is. Then he proposes to ask good people who know the girl.
Small Ships First
German marine pilots, the Seelotsen, start their training as experienced captains. To be admitted on the Elbe, a candidate needs an unrestricted certificate of competence as a captain. He also needs at least two years of sea time within the last five years. Training then lasts 12, 18 or 24 months and ends with an exam set by the supervising authority. After the appointment, the new pilot still starts with smaller ships. The pilotage ordinance for the Weser and the Jade sets out the steps in a section titled Lotsentätigkeit nach der Bestallung, pilot work after appointment. In the Weser II/Jade district, a new pilot may guide ships up to 165 meters long and 25 meters wide in the first half-year. The limit rises every half-year. Only in the eighth half-year may the pilot guide ships up to 350 meters long and 50 meters wide. In the Weser I district, the first year starts with ships up to 125 meters long. After the first half-year, a new pilot may assist another pilot who is responsible for the ship.
A Permit for the Nordschleife
A racing license alone does not let a driver race on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. From the 2015 season, the DMSB Permit Nordschleife became mandatory for all participants in the VLN endurance races and the 24-hour race. Its stated aim is more safety on the track, especially for newcomers. Auto Bild called it the Nordschleifenführerschein, the Nordschleife driving license. It has two grades. Grade B, for less powerful cars, comes first. Only drivers who can show results from at least two races receive grade A. Drivers who have not raced on the track for five years must qualify again. In September 2025, the Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen went through the same steps. He first completed the theory and guided laps for grade B. On 13 September, he raced a restricted Porsche Cayman to collect the 14 laps needed for grade A. But his second entry car did not complete a full lap in the race after a crash in practice. One required result for grade A was missing, and he had to hope the DMSB would make an exception. After he received the permit, he started in a Ferrari 296 GT3 on 27 September.
A Score That Needs Time
The credit agency Schufa holds data on 67.9 million people in Germany. Its new score, due to start on 17 March 2026, uses twelve criteria on a scale from 100 to 999. One of them is the age of a person’s oldest credit card. Christine Steffen of the consumer advice center of North Rhine-Westphalia commented: Gerade jüngere Verbraucher:innen haben gar nicht die Chance auf einen guten Wert, weil sie sich noch nicht im Wirtschaftsleben beweisen konnten … Younger consumers in particular have no chance of a good score, because they have not yet been able to prove themselves in economic life.
Trust Comes at the End
In 1995 Deutsche Bank advertised with the line Vertrauen ist der Anfang von allem, trust is the beginning of everything. In 2017 the brand consultant Klaus-Dieter Koch corrected it in the trade magazine Horizont: Vertrauen ist eben nicht, wie mal ein Claim der Deutschen Bank gesagt hat, der Anfang von allem, sondern der Endpunkt von allem. Und das gilt es sich zu erarbeiten. Trust is not, as a Deutsche Bank slogan once said, the beginning of everything, but the end point of everything. And it has to be earned.