Renting and tenant screening can occur via the web.  

This will help you better estimate cost of rehabs as well as learn what may be necessary/unnecessary, rehab pricing and prevent over-rehabbing

If you have very responsible tenants and they know how to use a fireplace safely, burn only seasoned firewood, do not leave the fire unattended, use fireplace screens and dispose of the ashes appropriately, it works.

Also, Not that this is a hard and fast rule or something I look at when screening but I have also found that *among well-qualified tenants*, pet owners tend to be more responsible, timely, communicative, etc... than non pet owners.

There are also integrated applications and screening reports online.

How do you all screen illegals for a rental property?  

So why was my home screen filled with time wasters like Facebook, Jewel Quest and NFL news?

I use Cozy to place ads for vacant properties and screen potential renters there.

If you properly screen, you won't have the catastrophe and usually the deposit, or very little of it comes in to play. 

Talk about a lot of extra unnecessary liability