I have learned not to judge too much on appearance. i let the numbers do the talking (credit and income).  Ive had some applicants that appear very cleancut, dressed nice, and they had 460 credit.  (Thats pretty much as bad as I've seen)   and one that came from the beach all scruffy and barefoot- ended up being a CEO who bought a house from me a few years later.

I meet them in-person; the gut check rarely fails me when compiled with 2 previous landlord references, credit, eviction history and BG checks.

The car thing ain't true, my car is immaculate because clients see it, my house, not so much...we don't have many people over.

I ask why they are leaving their current rental.  Also when asking the landlord for references, I ask whether he/she will lease to this person again, why or why not, how's the condition of the home when they left.  When I showed the property, I got the chance to meet them.

Meeting them in person for a discussion helps, and getting  a written application can tell you a lot. No guarantees of course. Checking the rental references with some pointed questions can help.

I haven't actually counted but I believe I have a couple thousand leases under my belt and have found no reliable method to assure peace of mind when it comes to tenants. A prior landlord, copies of their utilty bills and a credit report will get you to 90% of what you should know but that elusive 10% can make or break you. A 10 minute face to face interview at your office is where it begins!  

You have some great answers, Jenifer Kynor and I really have nothing to add to Thomas J. Nelson, Realtor,CRS,e-Pro and Christine Kankowski North SD and Temecula's excellent advice!  

Interesting how people get judged by their car. Does it portray who you are? Can't say. Except to go to their current residence and see how they live, there probably is no better way than what you mentioned already.

We check income, landlord references and do a CCap for wisconsin people, but may start using your screening process for those moving in from out of state.

The trick is not to believe anything they say.

IF they pass the sniff test on the phone, I allow them to see the unit and meet them personally.  The question I always ask is for them to rate themselves 1-10 on cleanliness.  The dirty ones will stumble on the answer.

Then I run a credit and background, that they pay for.

I do not call their previouse landlord aka their best friend ( or any refrences).  Low lifes all have a friend that will lie for them, and pretend to be the landlord.

The point is that you do not rent to someone just because they want to rent it.  I screen a minimum of 30 calls before I have someone I am interested in renting to.

Eve

No tricks.  Just do the work that needs to be done for screening. I know people who keep their homes immaculate and their cars are trash bins. We need to be careful how we judge things and people.  We are often incorrect in our "assumptions".  

Jennifer,

I think at that Christine Kankowski North SD and Temecula gave you an excellent tip.  Appearances alone do not guarantee good credit.  A

I have a department that handles the screening of tenants. 

Check social media

Background checks and credit reports are the best tricks.

I ask about what brought them to the area to get an idea of how long they are staying and job stability. Finding out what is important to the tenant in a home by asking questions can tell me how they will treat my places. 

No tricks, "just the facts  maam".

         I would do a quick search on the internet.  Clerk of Court, Property Appraiser, Intelius, social media sites, sex offender registry, etc.

Jenifer Kynor I still believe in first impressions, but Christine Kankowski North SD and Temecula makes a good point.

There was a question on this earlier in the week.  My answer is there.

You need to pay for background screening but also be samrt about what is the best applicant. I rented to a couple with a 540 credit score but they pay cash and were at the rpevious place 16 years. They are at three years so far.

when it comes to selecting a tenant, it's always a "crap shoot" .... I've seen clean credit and great references result in a tenant that lives like a pig....

I send them a rental application before everything else. If they opt to not fill it out and return it, they've prescreened themselves. 

The previous landlord may be a good source. Use a screening service.

No tricks. I just engage them in conversation and observe their mannerisms. I also use my gut instincts

You can find out a lot by checking Facebook and Twitter as well as a Google search.

Income and credit trump previous landlord references. 

Jenifer Kynor - meeting them in person is the best! 

I have and I have done this several times in different professions

I think DePechemode sang it well--everything counts in large amounts.  If ANYTHING seems off, err on the side of caution.

I don't work with tenants or leases so can't help you with any tips to pre-screen.

I don't work with tenants, my property manager does this.

There are no shortcuts.

A credit / criminal background screening is important. A credit score is one of the best indicators. Use a service like MySmartMove to conduct the check.

Yes - I have a property manager handle it!! 

I us Scott Roberts and Assoc. for my credit reports.  They have a great program where I have tenant fill out a two page report and they send it to Scott Roberts along with their Credit card information. I never have access to any of the Credit Card  info. Four time I have had the tenant refuse to pay for the report, told them ok, I will find another tenant. So it screened out 4 so  far.

No.