Tenant screening tips for your rental.

Some recommendations I would make when tenant screening are:

• No prior evictions (especially recent or unpaid judgments)
• Clear criminal background (no violent crimes or serious recent felonies)
• Verifiable employment (with consistent income)
• Positive rental history (ask the previous landlord the right questions—and listen for what they don’t say)
• Income 3x the rent is still the industry standard, but for higher-priced rentals, flexibility with strong credit can make sense
• Credit check
• (look for patterns: missed payments, overutilized credit, or collection activity)

The Condition of your property , tenants will match your care.

Let’s talk honestly for a second: the condition of your property affects the kind of tenants you attract.

If your home smells like pets, has peeling paint, broken fixtures, or a jungle for a front yard, the message is clear: “I don’t take care of this place.”

That invites the wrong kind of tenant—the kind who won’t take care of it either. On the flip side, a clean, maintained, and professionally presented rental tells applicants, “This is a well-run home. Respect is expected.”

Clean Property = Better Tenants

Touch up paint and fix minor damage • Clean carpets or replace flooring if needed • Handle odors and clutter before showing • Keep landscaping tidy and welcoming

This isn’t just about appearances—it’s strategy. Good tenants want good homes.

Keep up with your Maintenance , helps keep your tenant.

Most tenants will move out of properties with a lot of maintenance issues , even more so if the owner is slow on repairs. If you want to keep a tenant then provide the maintenance. Don’t be the landlord that just collects the rent and never gets anything done.

Build a list of after-hour vendors you can call for emergencies. Most things can wait until the next day, but there are those late night calls where the toilet is flooding the bathroom, or the water heater has sprung a leak. Creating a list of trusted vendors that you have built relationships with, provides for consistent work on your property, quicker response and a happy tenant.

Being maintenance conscience does not mean that you should fix everything the tenant reports, nor does it mean not charging the tenant for the damage they are responsible for. But I do believe you need to make maintenance a priority and not ignore it, if you want to keep good tenants for a lengthy period of time.

Remember the idea is to rent your property and keep it rented. If you do the proper tenant screening and maintain a good property, you will be in a position to make money. If you put just anyone in your property, you may be spending a lot of time trying to collect your rent or cleaning up a trashed property.