Does the German Credit Agency SCHUFA know about UK based credit?

MasterplanC

Hi all,

I am planning to move to Germany in the near future and wonder what the big Credit Agency SCHUFA knows about UK-held credit and such, in particular for a mortgage application.
I am German, but have lived in the UK since 2017. I have a joint mortgage for a house from 2022 (5yr deal) and have been quite active in stoozing recently (multiple 0% credit cards, a few of them close to the limit) and am basically wondering whether I should better cease that.

From the SCHUFA website and personal experience it seems to me that most of their partners are German companies including utility providers, banks, landlords and the like. I also know that one struggle of foreigners coming to Germany is that they have no SCHUFA trace which can be tricky for renting, so I presume they simply don't have information from outside of Germany. But in the digital age I am wondering how much they would know.

Thanks for any insight

sourcrates

Credit reference agencies operate specifically country by country, for example, your German credit file is completely separate from your UK credit file, and vice versa, never the twain shall meet.

Brie

Check before you go about how you will pay your mortgage and cards here if you have a German bank account (assuming you plan to do so!).  You won't be able to maintain a UK one so making payments might be difficult and expensive.  

MasterplanC

There‘ll be a transition for a while as my spouse is British and we have family here. We plan on selling the house before we buy one in Germany. As long as we have and occupy it I‘d be surprised if the banks close all our accounts. But obviously I heard many Brits in the EU find themselves with closed accounts.

Brie

It's not the nationality that's the issue it's the resident address.  So as long as you are living in the UK you'll be fine.  As soon as you tell them you've moved off shore they'll start closing things.  The standard used to be that they would give you 6+ months to tidy things up but that might have been shortened now we're further along from Brexit.  

MasterplanC

Yes sorry, what I meant is that while I will start working in Germany my spouse will stay here for a bit longer because we need to sort out work, visa and selling the house. I'll be here regularly for another year because of a visiting position at my previous institution. So I'd argue while I own a house here in which I stay regularly I will be resident enough for keeping a bank account with that address until we sell the house. 

This which article doesn't seem to paint a picture that's too bad for keeping accounts after moving: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/which-banks-allow-you-to-keep-your-account-as-an-expat-aIiEs1i49WTf I have a few current accounts open because of different perks, so I guess I'll find out.

sourcrates

You don`t have to tell the Banks anything until you have actually left, you can travel as much as you want, its not the banks business what you do, as long as you or your spouse are still officially resident in the UK.

pushpull

MasterplanC said:

Yes sorry, what I meant is that while I will start working in Germany my spouse will stay here for a bit longer because we need to sort out work, visa and selling the house. I'll be here regularly for another year because of a visiting position at my previous institution. So I'd argue while I own a house here in which I stay regularly I will be resident enough for keeping a bank account with that address until we sell the house. 

This which article doesn't seem to paint a picture that's too bad for keeping accounts after moving: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/which-banks-allow-you-to-keep-your-account-as-an-expat-aIiEs1i49WTf I have a few current accounts open because of different perks, so I guess I'll find out.

You're either resident or you aren't.  There is no "mostly resident" category.

If you're living and working in Germany, I'd say you're not a resident.

Owning a house in a country doesn't make one a resident, nor does coming back "regularly."

Hoenir

Nor will arguing carry much weight. With the regulatory scruntiny financial institutons are now under. Slightest whiff of suspicision may well result in the business relationship being terminated. As simply not worth the hassle.