Choose Your Tenant!

[C Rutherford]

Having a terribly hard time choosing between two tenants, for a vacant apartment in a duplex that must be rented as soon as possible.  I wondered which of these other people would choose.  First:

Here's the Apartment:
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1 BR upstairs loft unit, in a duplex. Its one long room, and a bedroom off on the side and bathroom.    Outside deck stairs.
Neighborhood: Blue collar.    Not the best but clean... there have been some car break ins and stolen bikes over the years, but no house break-ins.   Neighbor is a good guy, but he has bars on his side windows and he has a rotweiller.   A bit of a red neck but keeps a very clean yard.   That kind of neighborhood, lol.
Some say its the wrong side of town, some local residents proudly defend it.
Public golf course a few blocks away.
Apartment rents for $635 + utilities.


The Downstairs Tenant
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The already existing downstairs tenant:  Keeps to herself, pays rent ontime every month and keeps apartment immaculately clean.   However, she smokes pot-- and sometimes you can smell that upstairs.     She also plays her stereo occasionally kind of loud.    She may turn it down if asked.    Or she may get mad and turn it up..... depending on how the person asks, lol. Has family members coming over a lot. But, no damage, no problems.

Here are your Choices:
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PROSPECT 1:  A retired professor.  Makes around $4000 a month in SSI & benefits.  Has a large, 9 year old dog he swears is well behaved.   Sent picture, looks like a nervous dog, but cute.   He likes to golf.
Coming from a small town where he lived in a house owned by his brother, nice house in a nice neighborhood, but the house was sold.   I talked to said brother. Found out he lied about paying rent--- brother said he lived there for free but he was selling the house.  
Anyway, he wants to move into bigger city for next phase in life.
Apparently has no idea about the city he's moving to, or the neighborhood, but looked at apartment and likes it.


Concerns:
He may not like the pot smell or stereo.
Being retired, he'll be home all the time. He may find the neighborhood is not for him, not knowing the town well.
What if his car gets broken into?
Also, would the dog work in such an apartment. He says it will, but I just don't know.
No rental history
Lied about paying rent

PROSPECT 2:  Home healthcare worker.    She's had a job 6 years, and its only 6 minutes away from the apartment.
So she knows the neighborhood.
She quoted $1300 a month as her income.   Not enough of course.    But-- I talked to her employer and got a great reference. Employer says she can get plenty more work if she needs to.   I told her employer the rent and she says she can manage it.
Tenant applicant also says she has about $5000 in savings and says she saved up so she could pay rent.
She has two cats, but claims to be a great pet owner and keeps everything clean.
She has a rental reference:  Has rented a room and bathroom from a senior citizen for a number of years,
Talked to old landlord, she says renter was a 'good person' and paid her rent, but the senior wants to retire from leasing.

Concerns: She'll move in, then say she can't pay the rent

WHICH IS THE BEST GAMBLE?
Which prospect would you rent to.
You're not allowed to say neither, lol