Finding the best tenant for your rental property can be a difficult task. You want to make sure you're getting good value for your money with the perfect blend of affordability, reliability, and a good personality. The process can get a little complicated, but there are some steps you can take to make it easier. It all starts with finding the right property management company to help you screen tenants and manage your property. Here are some steps you should take to find the best landlord.

Start with a location. Do some research and figure out if your neighborhood is ideal for managing a rental property. It's important that you know what type of area you're getting into before taking on the responsibility of renting out your place, because it can have an impact on both tenant selection and property management.

Consider how many properties you want to manage. Are you comfortable with just one? Or do you want to manage multiple properties at once? The more properties that are under your management, the harder it will be to keep up with them all—but the higher potential return on investment (ROI), as well as long-term gains from having multiple properties under management, will be worth it in the end if you're comfortable taking on that responsibility.

Landlords know that a good tenant will pay rent on time, follow the rules, and be a positive part of the community. However, not all tenants are created equal—not even close.

Run a credit check. Don't rely on the information on the application alone. A lot can happen in three years—mistakes get made, identity theft can occur, and sometimes just being a hard worker with bad luck can result in negative marks on an application.

Ask for references from previous landlords and/or neighbors. Someone who is reliable and trustworthy enough to have stayed in their last place for a long time is probably going to be a good bet for you, too.

Try to rent to someone who already lives in your area. If you're looking for someone willing to commute from far away every day, you'll have more work keeping up with repairs and maintenance on your property, since your tenant will probably have less incentive to let things slide if they don't see it every day. Go through the application very carefully!