What is one responsibility a property manager has regarding tenant screening?

Conducting background checks on potential tenants is a crucial responsibility of a property manager during the screening process. This step is essential for ensuring that prospective tenants have a history that aligns with the property owner's requirements and the community standards. Background checks typically include reviewing credit history, rental history, criminal records, and other relevant information that helps assess a candidate's reliability and suitability as a tenant.

By performing thorough background checks, property managers can identify red flags, such as previous evictions, poor credit scores, or criminal activity, which may indicate that a tenant may not be trustworthy or responsible. This process protects both the property owner’s investment and the safety and wellbeing of the community residents.

Additionally, conducting interviews and approving applications are valuable steps in tenant screening; however, they are not as fundamentally critical as performing background checks, which provide concrete data to aid in decision-making. Selecting tenants based solely on income can also be problematic, as it does not paint a complete picture of a tenant’s reliability and may ignore other critical factors that contribute to a successful landlord-tenant relationship.