How to choose good tenants…...

[TheStorySoFar]

So we have advertised a property for rent & have had 5 phone calls from interested parties. We will obviously look for References, but are aware that theses aren't always reliable etc.
Any tips? TYIA.

what I would look for is:

non-smoker
stable income from whatever source (or six months rent in advance)
has lived independently before; someone who doesn't know that houses have to be heated/ventilated/cleaned is not ideal.

pets? rather you than me. Cats don't bark but can cause massive damage. Dogs do both but if regularly exercised/supervised/cleaned up after can do neither. Full time worker and dog not compatible.

kids - not worried. But do put a clause in the tenancy about not using bath crayons because they don't come off. Wall-scrawls can be painted over.

I'd also do a credit check - there are various online agencies. They will show any CCJ's etc. My experience is that potential tenants prefer to do this rather than show me bank accounts (which I can understand)

I also get an employers reference and a landlord's reference. I usually google the employer just to check it's legit and try to ring the current landlord as they are often more open on the phone than they would be committing info on paper.

Thk you both…massively helpful.

There are referencing companies that will organise the credit check, get employment references and contact previous landlords. I used rent4sure

rent4sure.co.uk/home

I also had rent4sure contact me about a previous tenant so I have had experiences from both sides. They also took the time to make sure that I was a real landlady by contacting the agency as well.

The report about my prospective tenant was comprehensive.

Personally I prefer to avoid kids as it can get really messy if you have to evict the tenant. With pets a lot depends on whether the property is suitable for pets. I have not had any problems with tenants having pets.

My sister lets a house.
She has a small two bed place which she was led to believe would be lived in by a lady and a teenager, turns out there are two teenagers, which makes quite a big difference to the wear and tear, I'm not sure if you can but might be worth specifying who will usually live in the property.

Have a look at the website "Landlordzone" loads of v experienced posters there and you usually get an answer promptly.

Don't be in a rush. I would wait for the right tenant. Gut instinct is important too when you meet them.