As long as I'm not intending to be offensive, why worry about ticking them off or embarrassing them? 

In the judicial section you can do a criminal conviction and also pending case look-up.

Not to be offensive, but you say "I'm afraid of wasting time," but if you keep just education yourself without taking any step, then you will ended up doing what you are afraid of.

Also depending on your finishes you may end up with renters that have a criminal history.

No offense, she is terrific, but zero business experience.You have a lot to bring to the table.  

While I've found many references to looking for 'x' number of years of rental history in other posts, I can't find anything that directly answers this nuanced question:We have a couple that meets our income, criminal (lack thereof), number of occupants, pet policy, etc.  

@Joel FlorekNo offense taken at all, thank you.

The owner of the house died, the house is criminally underwater, deed transferred to unsuspecting ex-wife of owner and she plans on letting it foreclose since ex-wife thought she had nothing to do with this house any longer.  

However, if you agree to this and it's found out, you may face criminal charges.

Sometimes having a tenant move in ASAP could seem great, but you really need to do a good background check to see if they are a good fit for you.Make sure to run their credit report and criminal background before having them sign the lease.After doing a detailed check, you should be able to determine if they fit what you are looking for.