What are the precautions on keeping a new tenant?

Hi everyone, I have a property left vacant near my house and I do not want to sell that. I have been wanting to keep a tenant (there have been offers lately) but my decision has taken a back seat when I heard about a relative of mine being duped by his tenants and getting wrong on the law side. I know that there are precautions you can take to avoid bad tenants……just drop me a few suggestions or tips to help me keep a good tenant.

Any suggestions would be appreciated (not the unusual ones).

Go to www.MrLandlord.com. They have great information on credit reports and a service you can use. I also have my tenant do auto deduct for rent. I reduced the rent by $25 so they would agree to do it. Then the hassle of collecting rent is less of a hassle.

But the best advice I have in getting and keeping a good tenant is to be a good and fair landlord. Good luck.

background check, credit check, recommendation from previous landlord (and contact #) and finally, intuition.

Meet the tenant first. Even if it is for lunch. If the credit and background check come back clean but you get a weird feeling from them after you meet, make up some excuse.