does the lower the tenant's income directly mean bad tenants?

[Keith A.]

Howdy all, 

I'm thinking about purchasing another rental, but this would be in very very very blue collar area. Crime is not bad by any means. My other properties are in an area that require a somewhat higher income in order to qualify, but with this potential property a person with much lower means can qualify.  Has anyone found that when renting out houses, income makes much of a difference in the type of renter you get (section 8 aside). Have you found that great renters and evictions are pretty equal across the board?  I do screen heavily, but fear that with less expensive properties it will be difficult to find "quality" applicants that can pass screening unless I greatly lower standards.  

[John Underwood]

@Keith A. I have some great tenants that don't make a lot of money and they still pay their bills.

If someone doesn't have a great background check (most don't) then I get a bigger deposit so I'm not out too much money in case things go south. I typically charge 1.5x a months rent for the deposit.