Soldier - You'll absolutely want to cover an application fee that covers any expenses you incur in screening a potential tenant.  Try and keep it reasonable - anything up to around $35 per applicant should cover those costs.  Before I actually pull the credit report from a credit reporting agency, I go check out the county court records.  Go to the civil and municipal court websites for the county your property is located.  For instance, I'm in Columbus Ohio and I use the Franklin County court sites that are here: http://www.fcmcclerk.com/Pa/pa.urd/pamw6500*display and here: http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/clerk/recordsonline.php  I'll additionally use Ohio's Rehab and correction website to check possible criminal activity.  That link is located here: http://www.drc.state.oh.us/OffenderSearch/Search.aspx  Last, Family Watchdog is a great site to search nationally for a possible sex offender.  That site is located here: http://www.familywatchdog.us/  All of these background checking resources are free and will give you a pretty good idea on the prospective tenant before you even pull and pay for the credit report. Hope this helps!