A few years ago I graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice and also got my master's degree in Homeland Security.

Avoid anyone with sex charges or with anything violent in their criminal records....no matter how long ago they assaulted someone or with drug charges. 

My current tenants which were inherited when I bought the property are moving next month..So now the real challenge of being a first time landlord is approaching, and my biggest concerns with screening are:Evictions and Criminal Background - How do you check for this?

You need to perform a credit, criminal & eviction check on every applicant.

It you communicate your rental criteria to prospective tenants in advance before accepting an application and application fee (required in Washington State), you would not run into this problem.It's perfectly fine to reject an application or approve it with conditions based on legal rental criteria.You may want to use a standard form, such as an "Adverse Action Notice".Here's some information from the one we use:----------ADVERSE ACTION NOTICEApplicant name ____________Applicant mailing address ___________This notice is to inform you that your application to rent the property located at ______________  has been:[] Rejected[] Approved with conditions:[] Residency requires an increased monthly rent of $_____[] Residency requires increased [] fee or [] deposit of $ _____[] Residency requires last month’s rent[] Residency requires a qualified guarantor[] Other requirementAdverse action on your application was based on one or more of the following:[] Information contained in a consumer credit report *[] The consumer credit report did not contain sufficient information *[] Information received in a criminal record[] Information received in a civil record[] Information received from references[] Information received from previous rental history or reference[] Information received from employment verification[] Inaccurate, false, or misleading statements or missing critical information on the application*If you were rejected based on a consumer credit report, you can request a copy of your credit report for free from the below-checked agency.[] Experian[] Equifax[] TransunionDated this day of ________.Agent/Owner Signature _________

What you can do is use someone’s criminal history to deny them if you have a valid reason to do so.

The state went after the agent with CRIMINAL charges for ripping off the owner. 

Hi @Chris Berry.For the last decade or so, we've obtained credit, criminal, and eviction reports from SmartMove by TransUnion.

If the occupants start intentionally damaging the property, call the cops and file a criminal complaint. 

Here in Wisconsin, Section 8 qualifications are quite stingy and require people receiving benefits to be people without criminal records or outstanding evictions.