To generate income or defray mortgage costs, some homeowners choose to rent out rooms within their homes or rent out the entire home to a tenant. The benefit is that you are making money with your property, in some cases while it is growing in value. There are also risks involved when you rent out your home.

While the credit check will give you a profile of a potential tenant's payment and address history, also perform a background check, which investigates criminal history. An eviction check also can be useful to learn about a renter's character. An eviction might show up on the credit report, but do a separate check with a company that specializes in these services.

When you are looking for potential room renters, consider airport personnel, such as flight attendants and pilots. They travel frequently and need a place to stay in destination cities. These people already have a job and probably have gone through a thorough background check.