You may or may not want to include a question in application about whether or not he or she plans to get (or has) any pets. If your tenant has 2 Dobermans and plans on moving into a 500 square foot space with no yard... you may not want to rent to them. Not only could large pets cause expensive damages or stink up apartment, but it’s also unfair to animals! Do you want to rent to someone who cares that little for living creatures?

You will also need to have a clause in your rental application stating that you have right to perform criminal, personal and financial background checks on prospective tenants. If this clause is not present in tenant's signed application, you have no legal right to contact anyone from their past.

Once you've talked to past employers and landlords, you should be able to determine whether or not applicant would be a good addition to your establishment. If it looks like they have a good chance, you'll want to run a credit report on them to make double sure of your instinct.

Credit reports can be expensive ($35.00 - $50.00), so it's a good idea to only run them on applicants you've researched and feel good about. Some credit checking agencies will give discounted reports to landlords ($10.00 - $20.00) and if you would like to, you can ask your potential tenant to pay for some or all of credit report cost.

By checking out everything from past employees to credit, you will have enough information about applicant to decide whether or not you are going to accept application. The process may seem tedious, but finding out about a bad tenant before he lives in your complex is well worth your efforts.

If you agree to lease unit only in event that landlord or management company replaces unit's carpeting, fixes bathroom sink, allows your pet to live with you, includes a washer and dryer as part of deal or other conditions, again, get it in writing with date of signature. If landlord refuses to put your verbal agreement in writing or claims a sudden attack of carpal tunnel syndrome which prevents him from writing, red flag should be raised in your mind. Take your business elsewhere.

If it's too late -- you moved into your unit without getting verbal agreements in writing, and now you find yourself making repeated requests for maintenance or other repairs that are never performed -- many real estate law experts agree that threatening to withhold payment on your rent isn't a good idea. There's a good chance your landlord will win in court if you withhold payment without a signed agreement preserving your right to do so. In addition to facing stiff monetary penalties, you could find yourself evicted from your apartment and out on street. In fact, State Bar of Texas states that tenants who use their deposits as rent when their leases did not state they could do so can face monetary penalties of up to three times amount of rent they withheld.

According to terms of law, a tenant only has a leg to stand on when he or she withholds rent under three conditions: if tenant first received a court order allowing him or her to withhold rent if landlord didn't perform agreed-upon repairs or meet various conditions; if tenant made repairs in his or her own unit and paid for them out of pocket, if landlord was aware of and approved those repairs and lease clearly stated that deductions in rent could be made under those circumstances; and if you have legally terminated your lease because your landlord or apartment management company broke terms of your written lease agreement with respect to his or her responsibility for repairs, or if your utilities have been cut off unlawfully. The moral of story? Tread lightly.

All of these warnings aren't to portray image of landlords and apartment management companies as scheming individuals. The situation is quite contrary in today's rental climate, major apartment leasing companies have grown and prospered around country. The renters' market is extremely competitive, and such companies vie for prospective tenants with promise of good amenities and good service. Sometimes these hassles simply amount to misunderstanding and miscommunication. Your best bet is to shop around, find a landlord or company-run complex with which you feel comfortable, to ask plenty of questions, read everything twice, and get every promise in writing. Don't be afraid of seeming nit-picky. If they want your business, they'll comply -- with a smile. Happy hunting.