I say "may" because while I have read about this in several places, I have not personally verified this to be true.I usually pay contractors by check the minute the work is finished and approved.  

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

@Martti Eckert in our opinion, you'll need to be really familiar with construction, including costs, or be able to find somoen on the ground you can REALLY trust (but still verify).

You could, for the purposes of verifying that you are not renting to someone who is potentially dangerous or financially incapable of shouldering the burden of being a roommate, ask them to apply through Zillow so that you can see their background check, that also gives you the opportunity to have others who might be interested in being your roommate as well, apply.

Verifying last 2 years of rental history very important!

A website like Pet Screening can help you verify and document pets to ensure they’re a good fit for your property.

@Caria Mitchell, someone's ID doesn't verify citizenship.

The power company supplied and installed the new meters (at no charge, at least not yet) and verified all the work around the 4 gang meter pan was done up to their standards.

I would get a 2nd opinion to verify.

Make sure to verify any information from a party that doesn't have any advantage of you getting their services before making a decision.