And check special assessment histories.

@Giovanni, I can predict future incomes looking forward 12 months, especially if I have an ownership history of steady rent increases of, for example, $25 per unit per month. 

The tenant has been there for 2-years and has good payment history.

I don't know a whole lot about my market, so if anyone else is in the Northwest PA or Eastern Ohio or Western NY region, and would like to meet up to talk real estate, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball or even just the weather, count me in. 

Rarely will we offer a > 12-month lease to students ... though we recently offered an 18-month lease to a PhD student who needed to move for this month (though this candidate made adequate income to cover the 3x rent requirement).Another point, when screening student applicants, it will be more common than not for them to have no, or insufficient, credit or rental history to pass our screening.  

I feel like these items represent a history of irresponsibility.

I have an applicant for an apartment who looks great in every other way except for one thing...she doesn't have a history of fulltime employment.She is young and just out of college.

CHECK OUT your tenants and see if they have any bad history before you rent to them.

So don't settle if the tenant does not fit your qualifiers (ability to pay rent, good history of paying on-time from credit report/score, has never been evicted, etc.)Communication is crucial.

However, I only perform a background check because I know a website that allows me to look-up Criminal History for free (PA only).