So much hinges on choosing a great tenant for your rental property.

Their behaviour and reliability will directly impact your cash flow and state of mind, and your final choice will be one of the most important decisions you make as a landlord.

With so many tenants out there, many of whom are perfectly charming, it can be hard to know who’s genuinely right for your property. That’s where a thorough process comes in.

Taking shortcuts can lead to costly problems later, so we've created this essential guide for choosing a great tenant, with a proven process to find the perfect match. We’ll explore:

What makes a great tenant?

Pre-viewing screening

Revealing a tenant's character

After-offer background checks

Making a legal choice

Getting this decision right is the best way to ensure your property is a successful and profitable investment, so let’s leave no stone unturned!

WHAT MAKES A GREAT TENANT?

In our experience, the best tenants share a few fundamental qualities that make a tenancy easy, enjoyable, and financially sound. In order to recommend them to a landlord, we look for ones who:

Pay the rent on time and in full. This is the bedrock of a successful tenancy with the largest knock-on effect to landlords.

Care for their home. Good tenants treat a property as their own, keep it clean and well-maintained, report problems promptly, and provide easy access to fix them.

Are good neighbours. A great tenant is mindful and respectful of those around them and avoids disruptive behaviour like noise and littering.

When we find a tenant who meets all of these criteria, we know that we are laying the foundation for a positive, long-lasting, and stress-free tenancy.

PRE-VIEWING SCREENING

When demand for rental homes is high, enquiries can flood in, and a strong initial screening process helps us spot who’s a good fit — and who isn’t — before anyone sets foot through the door.

By asking the right questions from the very start, we can quickly and efficiently determine whether a viewing should happen. Here’s what we explore at this initial stage:

Basic demographics: How many adults and children will be living there, what are their ages, and whether they have any mobility issues or accessibility needs.

Financial position: What’s their monthly salary, is it stable, and do they have a guarantor in the case of a low or intermittent income?

Reason for moving: Why and when are they looking to move, what do they need from a long-term home, and do they have a history of moving frequently?

Making simple checks like these before booking a viewing means we can shortlist suitable candidates to show your property to, and minimise wasted time for everyone.

REVEALING A TENANT'S CHARACTER

From first contact to their behaviour on viewings, tenants leave plenty of clues about who they are, and these are some of our techniques for reading between the lines to gauge who to recommend:

Asking about their life, work and reasons for moving to (or staying in) the neighbourhood to get an idea of their openness, lifestyle, motivation and nature.

Checking their social media for how they look after their current home, the presence of unsuitable pets, or if they're advertising for undeclared housemates.

Looking for signs that they have a genuine interest in your property as their long-term home, from the comments they make to the questions they ask.

Finally, we think about whether we can build a strong relationship with them. While data is essential, our experience and intuition play valuable roles when deciding whether a tenant is a perfect fit.

AFTER-OFFER BACKGROUND CHECKS

Once you've accepted an offer from a prospective tenant, it's time to delve deeper into their position to protect your interests and avoid sleepless nights.

It can be tempting to cut corners to save a few pounds, but thorough referencing is worth every penny, and the key details we verify before creating a tenancy include:

Affordability: We require evidence that a tenant's monthly income, commitments and spending habits leave them comfortably able to pay the rent.

Credit and ID checks: We confirm that a tenant is precisely who they say they are, and conduct a full search for any unpaid debts, CCJs, or bankruptcies.

Landlord References: We contact previous landlords to verify each tenant’s history of paying rent, looking after a property, and overall behaviour.

Taking the time to get this right is an essential step in every tenancy, giving you confidence that your chosen tenant is a responsible and reliable resident.

MAKING A LEGAL CHOICE

As well as finding someone you can trust, choosing a great tenant is about renting your property to someone who is legally allowed to live there, as well as avoiding illegal discrimination.

This makes it essential to have a well-honed selection process that's fair, transparent, and meets every relevant law. These are some of the biggest legal considerations:

All tenants must be checked against the UK Government sanctions list. For rental homes in England, you also need to make Right to Rent checks for all non-UK citizens.

It's illegal to discriminate against any tenant based on protected characteristics like race, religion, beliefs, gender identity, disability, pregnancy, or sexual orientation.

However, you can say no to anyone who’s rude, vague, difficult, or leaves you feeling uneasy, as long as your refusal has demonstrably nothing to do with any protected characteristic.

The way you set up your tenancy paperwork will also have a huge impact, but ultimately, keeping everything legal protects you from unnecessary complications and penalties.

What's your next step?

Choosing a great tenant takes patience and a methodical approach — but it always pays off. And if you’d like expert help along the way, we’re here for you.

Whether you're a new or experienced landlord in the Wilton and Salisbury area, call us on 01722 580059 or email us at info@piccoloproperty.co.uk to chat about your property, the local rental market, or any aspect of lettings.