How do you vet your tenants?

[Daniel Pitta]

I am relocating to Charlotte next spring and purchasing my first owner-occupied rental. I will be purchasing a 3BR and renting out the other 2 rooms. What I'd like to know is what are some effective ways to vet my tenants so I don't have some sketchball renting out one of the rooms and potentially causing damage, not paying on time, etc. 

Aside from background checks, what are some good ideas? I'm a newbie. Thanks