[Aquinasfan]

Welfare scumbags, and others with no ambition in life to better themselves do not care about other peoples property. they will smash it up and just move on to the next place.

Best unsolicited advice I ever got: ask for the previous 12 months' cancelled rent checks from prospective tenants.

[Nathan Zachary]

That is a MUST! Always get their rental history, and DO follow up on it. You'd be surprised at how may applicants lie about it, or not even bother to include some of the places they rented. Sometimes by talking with their previous landlord, You can get that information. But be careful, some landlords will say anything to get rid of a tenant. Take a drive and check out the place they are living at if possible.
Do a credit check, and call their employer. The time you take to screen a tenant is well worth it. It can save you a lot of grief.