Landlords can perform tenant background checks themselves by using online screening services, contacting previous landlords or employers and checking public records.

As a landlord, you should only want the best candidates to become your tenants. Here is how you can screen them effectively.

How to Screen Tenants Effectively Here’s what all landlords need to know about tenant screening, rental applications, and keeping their properties occupied with excellent renters.

Get a background check As a landlord, you have the right to request a criminal background and credit check from any prospective tenant.

Contributor content. How do you choose tenants who are truly reliable — without overstepping or cutting corners?

By taking the extra time to screen tenants, you can save yourself thousands of dollars in the long run, which makes tenant screening one of the best investments for a landlord.

Screening prospective tenants is the first and most important step, he says. While paying rent may be a landlord’s first priority, it’s not the only consideration in selecting the right tenant.

Rules for employment screening, which some of the tenant-screening firms provide, require employers to share the negative report with a rejected applicant. None of those restrictions applies to ...