I basically used this as part of my screening.

Any general recommendations on the screening of property managers and tips for success on that side of the business? 

The purpose of screening is to reduce or eliminate risk.

5 inquiries in a few hours..... can get more $$$ :) I'm sure as a BP member you have done the research on tenant screening.

Thank you BP for the rental screening how to.  

While it may take a little longer to the house occupied, you might do a little more extensive screening to qualify your next tenant so you reduce the chances of another unplanned vacancy. 

It often does mean that they can't get approved by the traditional property managers or that they have had bad experiences when the managers held them accountable.Whether we hear that or not, we look at why the applicant is moving, if there is anything on their credit report that could be a prior landlord turning them into collections, whether anything indicates they could be fussy or full of drama, and if they have sued or been sued, in addition to traditional screening methods.Applicants could like the more personal touch with a private owner, more perceived or actual flexibility in screening and later upgrades/policies,  more flexible due dates or payment methods, or might be interested in rent to own if the house and situation works out.  

I used this and really like it a lot...I would also recommend to anybody looking for a cheap and easy screening tool.

Smart Move: I've used SmartMove before, and I think it's great ... it's comprehensive with both the background check and tenant screening. 

So I picked up my first property, its a 4plex in rougher neighborhood and used property management to find and screen tenants.