New to the rental market - need advice how to screen tenants and steps to lease

[Melissa D.]

I have 5 showings this weekend for prospective tenants for a condo I own.  I used Zillow Rental Manager to list it.  Seems pretty easy to use.  But I am reading mixed reviews on Zillow's background check.  What is best practice for screening and verifying income?  Should I be handing the prospect an actual printed application to sign to is it better to do everything electronically and do through a third party?  Is the Zillow Rental Manager lease agreement an acceptable document to use once I approve someone? This will be my only rental for a while so I'd like to keep it as simple as possible.

[Alex Pelletier]

Hey Melissa,

Many platforms handle background checks differently,  but here are some options for you to look into depending on what you're looking for:

Hemlane, Rentredi, Tenantcloud, and Turbotenant -- these all have a background check offering.

I'd recommend getting advice from others in your area if you know other RE investors. Local real estate associations may have better-localized leases depending on your locale, though you may be perfectly happy with Zillow's lease document.

Feel free to direct message me if you have any questions!