5 ms·

In Germany, there is SCHUFA, which is a credit score. To rent in Germany, I had to have a SCHUFA check and a letter from my previous landlord saying I didn't h

In Germany, there is SCHUFA, which is a credit score. To rent in Germany, I had to have a SCHUFA check and a letter from my previous landlord saying I didn't have any outstanding debts, the "Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung."

bserge 5y ago
Germany is like a proto-US. Ignore the media spin, it's the most capitalist country in Europe, where unequal contracts rule supreme and you get fines and prison time for nearly anything. I'm surprised the socialist policies stuck around, although there's still time to get rid of them.
- throwaway210222 5y ago
  > where contracts rule supreme What, other than a contract that complies with the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, should be more supreme between two parties freely trading with each other? The weather report? A poem?
  - bserge 5y ago
    Somehow you replied before my edit. I meant unequal contracts, where one party has more power and the other is screwed if they, for whatever reason, cannot fulfill it. Which is to say, most contracts. The requirements and punishment for breach of contract are rather nutty even compared to the US.
- heurisko 5y ago
  I don't get the media spin in the UK. I don't expect Germany to be anything other than capitalist, or as they say "ordoliberal", which is a market with strong state regulation. Considering their socialist policies started with Bismarck, I think they'll remain. But I think perhaps US-centric media somewhat over-eggs "socialist Europe".
- luckylion 5y ago
  That's a weird take, meaningful fines are rare, except for parking/speeding tickets (because it's an easy way for cities to get cash), prison is very rare, you have to really go for the large crimes to not get probation. The one exception is coercive detention ("Beugehaft"), which they hand out instead of fines. It's a dumb concept, but it's also not that common. I also generally disagree that Germany is capitalist. Most markets are heavily regulated and full of subsidies, taxes are extremely high, and there's a fundamental mistrust of individualism.
  - bserge 5y ago
    Oh that's good then. If I ever live in a country where, say, stoning people to death is legal I'll be happy knowing that it's "rare". Police beating up innocents also happens rarely in the US.
    - luckylion 5y ago
      Fines are neither extrajudicial nor cruel and unusual. It's in everyone's interest for you to pay a fine if you don't file your taxes than for you to receive a prison sentence. Again, it's rare. The state is financed via very high taxes in Germany, not by abusing fines as a money grab. Some local admins get overzealous with speeding + parking violations, but even that is pretty cheap. And what's the alternative? Would you prefer your car to be towed and your license invalidated? Paying 20€ is cheaper for everyone involved ... and if you're really allergic to paying money and the picture isn't perfect, you can usually get out of it by claiming "that person could be anyone".
Sharlin 5y ago
Yeah, but "negative" credit score (ie. the only information they store is whether you have been a "bad" customer) is different from the US-style credit score system. > Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung Also, that must be the most German word ever.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

bserge 5y ago

Germany is like a proto-US. Ignore the media spin, it's the most capitalist country in Europe, where unequal contracts rule supreme and you get fines and prison time for nearly anything. I'm surprised the socialist policies stuck around, although there's still time to get rid of them.

throwaway210222 5y ago
> where contracts rule supreme What, other than a contract that complies with the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, should be more supreme between two parties freely trading with each other? The weather report? A poem?
- bserge 5y ago
  Somehow you replied before my edit. I meant unequal contracts, where one party has more power and the other is screwed if they, for whatever reason, cannot fulfill it. Which is to say, most contracts. The requirements and punishment for breach of contract are rather nutty even compared to the US.
heurisko 5y ago
I don't get the media spin in the UK. I don't expect Germany to be anything other than capitalist, or as they say "ordoliberal", which is a market with strong state regulation. Considering their socialist policies started with Bismarck, I think they'll remain. But I think perhaps US-centric media somewhat over-eggs "socialist Europe".
luckylion 5y ago
That's a weird take, meaningful fines are rare, except for parking/speeding tickets (because it's an easy way for cities to get cash), prison is very rare, you have to really go for the large crimes to not get probation. The one exception is coercive detention ("Beugehaft"), which they hand out instead of fines. It's a dumb concept, but it's also not that common. I also generally disagree that Germany is capitalist. Most markets are heavily regulated and full of subsidies, taxes are extremely high, and there's a fundamental mistrust of individualism.
- bserge 5y ago
  Oh that's good then. If I ever live in a country where, say, stoning people to death is legal I'll be happy knowing that it's "rare". Police beating up innocents also happens rarely in the US.
  - luckylion 5y ago
    Fines are neither extrajudicial nor cruel and unusual. It's in everyone's interest for you to pay a fine if you don't file your taxes than for you to receive a prison sentence. Again, it's rare. The state is financed via very high taxes in Germany, not by abusing fines as a money grab. Some local admins get overzealous with speeding + parking violations, but even that is pretty cheap. And what's the alternative? Would you prefer your car to be towed and your license invalidated? Paying 20€ is cheaper for everyone involved ... and if you're really allergic to paying money and the picture isn't perfect, you can usually get out of it by claiming "that person could be anyone".

Sharlin 5y ago

Yeah, but "negative" credit score (ie. the only information they store is whether you have been a "bad" customer) is different from the US-style credit score system. > Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung Also, that must be the most German word ever.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]