Comply with the law

Landlords must treat all their tenants equally. According to the Federal Fair Housing Act, designed to prevent discrimination against specific classes of people in any housing-related activity, you can't discriminate among tenants on the basis of:

• Race or color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status (involves families with children)'
• Disability

Also, determine the fair market rent for your property for higher profits and more potential tenants. Many states have their own fair housing rules that must be complied with, so familiarize yourself with them and follow them to the T.

Advertise your tenant requirements

Online ads are pretty popular because they can reach more prospective tenants, are less expensive, and preferred by most renters. Here are some well-known websites and apps you can use to list your rental rooms:

• Cirtru: This is one of the most trustworthy rental room finders in the country. The portal is free, and if you wish to advertise your room for rent, all you have to do is follow three simple steps, and you'll have found someone suited to your requirements in no time. You can also check out Cirtru reviews to know how other users had their experience.

• Radpad: This is a pretty popular app among renters due to its user-friendly mobile interface.

• Trulia: Trulia also offers a mobile application that's landlord-friendly and helps them access their rental listing to make edits, upload images, and connect with interested tenants.

• Craigslist: Here's a site that's been around for over two decades and is still a popular choice for room listings. Ensure that your ad's current and looks good.

More importantly, add preferred tenant requirements in the rental property listing. Use the contact information from interested tenants to find out more details about them and set expectations right away. Using the criteria you had set in the ad, shortlist the potential tenants.
Choose a credit-worthy tenant

Would you like to accommodate a tenant who doesn't have money to pay the monthly rent? We all know the answer to that question. So, it's crucial to choose a tenant who's financially sound and pays his rent and utilities on time. Since a credit check involves a fee, landlords ask their tenants to pay the credit check fee at times. The entire process involves two steps:

Verifying income:

• You'll want a tenant whose monthly income is three times the rent
• Ask for their pay stub copies
• Contact their employer and confirm their employment, employment duration, attendance record, and monthly meetings.

Running a credit check:

• Check whether they've been paying their bills on time
• Check their income to debt ratio: Regardless of whether they have an income three times the monthly rent, you need to consider how much debt they have.
• Check eviction history, civil judgments against or bankruptcies.

Perform a criminal background check

Criminal information is public and is available at different courthouses. The check will reveal both minor and serious offenses, which you can find using the tenant's name and date of birth. Remember that tenants with an actual criminal record will try to share false information about this, so make sure that you see a valid ID to verify their real identities. A detailed background check will include:

• Federal Court record research
• A state-wide criminal record research
• A county criminal court search
• A Department of Corrections offender search
• Sexual Offender database search

A few additional pointers related to a criminal background check are:

• Some states like California prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants with certain criminal convictions. So, it might be easier for you to justify rejecting an applicant with a drug problem than someone with 50 speeding tickets.
• No nationwide database of criminal records exists, so it may be challenging for you to run a background check thoroughly.
• A criminal background check takes up a lot of time, so it's a good idea to have a well-known tenant screening company do it for you. The company can perform both the credit and background checks for a fee.

Check the tenant's rental history

Contact at least two of the tenant's previous landlords. If the applicant is a problem, the current landlord may want to wash their hands off them and may not be willing to disclose the truth. Here are some sample questions you could ask the previous landlords:

• Did the tenant pay their rent timely?
• What was the reason for the move? Was the tenant evicted for non-payment of rent or for breaking the landlord's rules?
• Did the tenant serve a 30-day notice period before moving?
• Did they cause any damage to the apartment, besides normal wear and tear?
• Were they disrespectful to their neighbors?
• Did they complain often?

If the renter happens to be a student, a first-time renter, or a recent graduate, they'll not have a renter history, so they'll need to get hold of a co-signer for the lease agreement.

Choose a tenant who isn't a flight risk

While you're going through the rental applications, check the tenant's previous addresses and employment history for any red flags. Did they change jobs or move very often? If you see a pattern there, it's likely to stay, so you may end up without a tenant before you even know it. If their employment history isn't consistent, it's clear that they'll not have the money to pay rent in a couple of months, and you might see yourself filing for eviction.

Trust your instincts

Trust the tenant screening process with all your heart. At the same time, if your sixth sense tells you that based on the research you've done and conversations you've had, something about the tenant doesn't add up, don't ignore it. In certain situations, your gut tells you more than what reports and reference calls can. You'll end up avoiding a lot of issues down the line.

In summary, if you keep your emotions out of the screening process while ensuring that it's followed all the way through, with no room for doubt, you'll end up with a perfect tenant, who'll not only ensure you have a steady monthly income but also respect and care for the rental room and the property they're living in.