Check out their Facebook account - look up the docket directory in their county and name for criminal activity .

Glad to cyber meet you. 

If the applicants are straw applicants or non-existent then the remaining tenants might not meet the income requirement and/or you could end up with a situation where a straw applicant has enabled criminal elements to occupy the unit.Sally, Joe and Eric apply for your unit, they pass and you rent to them.Later you find out:Sally and Joe moved in with Bob.Eric isn't a real person, he is a made up person, a stole identity basically, provided to you to pass the application screening.andYou find out that Bob is setting up a meth lab in the basement of your unit.I don't think that's ok as long as the checks clear.

This investor mentioned that unencumbered properties held personally by the investor(s) is a scenario that would-be criminals specifically seek out, and that umbrella policies should not be viewed as sufficient protection.  

All criminal records are public.

What remains are those comfortable with it (criminals or soon to be), beyond poor, the unemployable.

My thoughts are if they meet income requirements have no major issue with their credit or criminal issues then I would meet with them and make a decision.

This is from the RowleyLegal.com website: "Chapter 61.34 RCW provides that that conduct of buying Washington distressed residential real property purchased from a homeowner who is behind on mortgage payments (or unpaid property taxes) and facing bank foreclosure (or tax sale) may be construed as ‘equity skimming’ and therefore, may be illegal (both civilly and criminally)."

His criminal record shouldn’t have any bearing on your decision of the purchase.

But you can help yourself by doing some intense screening of your potential tenants like using a website like Zumper that screens credit, criminal, and eviction history for you and they charge the tenants the fee, not you.