If you are a landlord, there is a good chance that at some point you have rented to a tenant who was less than desirable. This tenant probably caused problems for you and may have caused problems for other tenants. How to avoid making the same mistake again in the future? Is there a way to ensure that you find quality tenants and avoid the bad ones? Well, actually, there are steps you can take to ensure that you have a much better chance of finding the right tenants. These steps can make the rental process much easier for you and can save you time and money that bad tenants can cost you.

The first step to getting quality tenants is to place an ad that will essentially scare away bad tenants. Be sure to let potential renters know that you are keeping a quiet place and loud guys will not be tolerated. Owners may do credit and background checks so please mention that in the ad as well. Some sleazy people won’t even bother responding to your ad if they know you’re going to run a background check on them. Likewise, a potential tenant who hasn’t been financially responsible will have bad credit and probably won’t even bother responding to your ad because of the credit check requirement. As you can see, a well-written ad can weed out a lot of bad tenants before you even start getting calls.

When people call to rent the apartment, you can take this screening step further by letting them know you need at least three months of stable employment which must be verified by providing pay stubs for the last three months. You can also request proof of a checking or savings account using the last three months of account statements. This is also where you can indicate your minimum credit score requirement (if applicable) to rent your place. Again, these tactics are used to get responsible tenants and will drive away non-responsible tenants.

You want to make sure potential tenants understand all of your demands before completing the application. This will save everyone time and trouble. Don’t be afraid to sound stern and have a no-nonsense attitude when dealing with potential tenants. Bad tenants tend to gravitate towards landlords who feel like they can stomp. Don’t give off that kind of vibe. The goal of these lawsuits is to intimidate bad tenants into moving elsewhere.

Using the steps above will help you weed out bad tenants even before an application is complete. They have worked for many landlords who were sick and tired of losing valuable time and money due to bad tenants. By making your demands known early on, and by making sure that these demands meet the highest standards, you can ensure that you only rent to quality tenants. Decent tenants will have no problem with your demands and will not be intimidated at all.