What to do when you have multiple qualified applicants

[Nate R.]

Hello BP,

I am listing my first house for rent. I am following the info in BP's guide to screening tenants, but I would like to know what experienced landlords do if you receive applications from multiple qualified tenants?  I have received numerous applications and several people meet my criteria. When you sell a house and you receive several offers you can select the offer that you view as the best. Can you do the same with rental applications or by law do you need to accept the first tenant who qualifies (I understand it is illegal to discriminate based on protected classes)?  

The unit I am renting doesn't have appliances. I was planning to add them as part of the lease, but one of my qualifies tenants has their own appliances so it would be appealing to rent to them. A different qualifies applicant has two dogs and would pay an extra $50 per month, so that extra income is appealing.   Do I need to lease to the first qualified tenant I find or can I rent to the "best" applicant if multiple people qualify? 

Thanks,

Nate