@David Lecko: I appreciate your dealing directly with these "complaints" Personally, I find it to be a very useful tool for the purposes I use it.

Issues such as noise complaints, cooking smells, parking disputes, and general nuisances become part of the landlord’s job to manage.

Two of your questions will be more situational and location based.We don’t ever haggle on pricing, although I would suggest being flexibleWe check credit, criminal history and everything that goes along with that, evictions, and income.

A proper screening process should include ID verification, eviction & rental history, criminal records, and verified income data to ensure the applicant truly qualifies.At the end of the day, accuracy is the most important factor—without it, even the strictest screening criteria won’t mean much.

You can pre-screen them for free, then run the credit/criminal background only for those that pass your initial review so you're not wasting time.

A background check can uncover criminal history, past evictions, judgments, or liens, which could indicate issues beyond just financial stability.Even if rent payments are guaranteed, the applicant will still be living in your property, so knowing their rental history and overall reliability is just as important.

For example, I mention that every adult must pay a $30 application fee, pass my credit/criminal background, make a combined income of 3x the rent, and whether or not the property accepts pets.

Here's a quick rundown:Serve a Notice: Start with the appropriate eviction notice 14 days for unpaid rent, 10 days for lease violations, or 3 days for serious offenses.File a Lawsuit: If the tenant doesn’t comply, file an unlawful detainer complaint in the local Superior Court.Summons the Tenant: The court will serve a summons, giving the tenant a chance to respond.Court Hearing: Present your case with proper documentation.

I also hear complaints about the city not being a "landlord friendly" city.

Something to that effect completes the loop if the objective is to prevent issues versus responding to complaints and alerts.