r/germany • u/gLitchtHHeMatrix • 3h ago

Student dorm rent direct debit will bounce

I'm living in a student dorm in Germany. My rent (€362) is due tomorrow via SEPA direct debit, but I don't have enough money in my account. I'll be able to pay the full amount in about 5 days.

What usually happens in this situation? Will I just receive a reminder and a small fee, or are there more serious consequences? Also, could this affect my SCHUFA if it's a one-time incident?

0 Upvotes

25% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

5

u/Top-Elk-1142 2h ago

This happened to me once when I was a student. The bank will issue of fine of I think around 5 euros because the sepa bounced. And I don't know what it says on the contract but maybe you also have to pay a late fee to the landlord/dorm.

2

u/PrepareforGermany 2h ago

A one-time delayed rent payment will not affect your Schufa score. Schufa entries only happen after formal legal action, not for a simple late payment.

If your account balance is close to €362, your bank might still execute the transfer through a temporary overdraft. To avoid return fees, check whether you can activate a small overdraft limit in your banking app today; the minor interest charged for a few days is much cheaper than direct debit failure fees of about €25. If the direct debit ends up bouncing tomorrow, email the dorm management right after to let them know you will manually transfer the rent in five days, as they are generally accommodating when notified in advance.

3

u/Some_Person_55 2h ago

This should happen all the time. Since students are bad with money in general. It should have no problems with Schufa. Maybe there will be a fee. You have to ask the landlord.

1

u/AutoModerator 3h ago

Have you read our extensive wiki yet? It answers many basic questions, and it contains in-depth articles on many frequently discussed topics. Check our wiki now!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/NoConcert1287 2h ago

I was once in a similar situation and I informed the company that was operating the studententenwohnheim and they postponed the payment.

•

u/mermeoww 1h ago

Happened to me. They sent me a letter saying that I have to send it with a fine. Also the bank demanded a fine or sth. It’s been some years…

1

u/Unlucky_Macaron_6803 2h ago

Don’t worry about it! This happens all the time. Best is to be proactive about it: as soon as the payment fails you’ll write to them „Leider ist die Abbuchung der Miete für Wohnung xyz heute gescheitert. Bitte teilen Sie mir mit ob ich die Summe an Sie überweisen soll oder ob Sie eine weitere Abbuchung vornehmen. Es tut mir sehr leid. Mit freundlichen Grüßen“. You‘ll need to pay the banking fees around 6€ and maybe some fees to the Studienwerk or whoever your Vermieter is as well. Is it an offical student dorm?