Phone screening includes number of people, pets, income, when can they take possession, smokers, and criminal history.

Finally, make sure you look at the applicants eviction and criminal history.If you need any recommendations on screening software, please feel free to reach out to me directly!

If they do not score enough points (or just blatantly miss a stated criteria, like no prior evictions) in that initial subtotal I do not move forward.Use objective criteria, like how long they have held their job, % of rent to income, how long they have lived at past addresses, how long they intend to stay, stated criminal history, whether they provided bank accounts, etc to put a score to your hunches.You can also drag your feet on denying, I normally wait until I have an applicant who has accepted to deny the rest of the applicants. 

I use a separate website for performing a criminal and credit and eviction background check as well, which to me, has me covered, but curious how others handle it.

Here's some more reading on that: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/04/472878724/denying-housing-over-criminal-record-may-be-discrimination-feds-say

@Jane Istre How do the criminal background and eviction checks look?

I'm worried that it might be leaving out things, ie criminal and evictions (it's based off of checkr, if that means anything).Does anyone have any thoughts on this? 

I would probably see if the district attorney’s office would be willing to file any criminal charges as well.

I agree with @Sarnen Steinbarth that anyone over 18 should fill out an application and be subject to financial and criminal screening.

I was a prosecutor for 7 years and a criminal defense attorney for 2 and then was involved in the art world with galleries and curatorial work for 5 years.