If you are a landlord, it is very likely that at some point you have rented from 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, in fact, 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 essentially drives away bad tenants. Be sure to let potential tenants know that you keep a quiet place and noisy guys will not be tolerated. Landlords can do credit and background checks, so mention that in your ad, too. Some sleazy people won’t even bother to respond to your ad if they know you’re going to run a background check on them. Likewise, a prospective renter who hasn’t been financially responsible will have poor credit and probably won’t even bother to respond 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 informing them that you need at least three months of steady employment which must be verified by providing pay stubs from the last three months. You can also request proof of a checking or savings account using the last three months of statements. This is also where you can indicate your minimum credit score requirement (if any) to rent your space. Again, these tactics are used to get responsible tenants and will drive away tenants who are not responsible.

You want to make sure potential tenants understand all of your demands before they complete the application. This will save everyone time and hassle. Don’t be afraid to sound stern and have a no-nonsense attitude when dealing with potential tenants. Bad tenants tend to gravitate toward landlords they feel like they can walk all over. Don’t give 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 wasting valuable time and money due to bad tenants. By making your demands known early on, and making sure 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 feel intimidated at all.