Urgent help in Tenant screening as a newbie Landlord

[Kristine O.]

Hello rockstars! Especially to landlords. This is the first time that we are renting out to someone for midterm rental. My prospect tenant just completed his application form/background check thru avail.co. Can i ask for personal reference and professional reference like coworkers no.? He's a retired military in his 40s. He has 9 month work gap in 2022. And in 2023 up to present he does not have employment but just accepted at a military or base near where we live. He even sent his 2 previous pay stubs from 2022 and an acceptance letter from his current military employer. What else can i ask just to prevent potential issues with a tenant. This is a big deal since we live in the same lot with my family and I'm renting out my ADU. Its just so many horror stories out there dealing with bad tenants that it's making me nervous although I need this rental to help pay for mortgage.

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Kristine O.:

He provided two pay stubs from 2022? That demonstrates that he earned some money two years ago. What about now?

He needs to show verifiable proof of income to confirm he can afford the rent. You need to run his credit to confirm he pays his bills on time. You need landlord references to confirm he takes care of his rentals, doesn't violate the lease, pays rent on time, etc.

I recommend you read this guide, set some standards, and stick to them: https://www.biggerpockets.com/...