Tenant screening is an inescapable part of selecting tenants for your property. Once people have responded to your rental advertisement, you need to make sure who the most suitable tenant is. No one would like to rent out to a person with unlawful background, or a person with a severe non-payment history or someone who disrupts peace in the neighborhood. However, to choose the right person you need to maintain a checklist.

It is crucial to get information on the prospect's credit history, eviction reports, employment history, criminal records, if any, etc. Based on these reports you can select the most appropriate tenant for your property. The tenant screening process may not be trouble-free, but it is important that you try-out every aspect featured on this list.

Credit reports: this will give you an indication of how the tenant manages his funds and if he often defaults payments. You may also present an enquiry to the bank to verify that he can clear a check for the rent amount.
Court reports of evictions: this will reveal if the tenant has ever been evicted and for what reason.
Bad check reports: this will help you get information on the defaults of payments and bad checks against the tenant.
Employment verification: further details about the tenant can be obtained from past and present employers.
Previous landlord verification: further details about the tenant can be obtained from past and present landlords.

Criminal background checks: this will help you to detect if the prospect has ever been involved in any criminal activity.