1st l have a long email w/application instructions +docs to submit. Pay attention to how long they take to apply, how well they follow instructions, how many questions they ask. If they don't follow instructions or are confused or incomplete, they can make a bad tenant. Also no lawyers, no doctors.
"I might have my grandson move in," or similar, which means you will not know who's living there. Incoherent stories about why they are moving. People moving in the rental off-season often have sketchy backstories. Or "I've been looking so long," you have to follow with "How many apps have done?"
People who start asking weird things on the tour -real: "Can you please repaint everything white? We don't like these colors." "I know you're looking for a year, but I'll just do 6 months to start." "The dishwasher has DNA from other peoples' food that I am allergic to, can I have a new dishwasher?"
Unsurprising that landlords wouldn't want to rent to people who know the law.
Wait, why no lawyers??
Lawyers litigate? The 1 time I bent to allow a Harvard Law student, she begged out of the lease early (by law here I have to find a suitable replacement) & she rode me endlessly. In the end she had to pay (Wow!) 1 whole extra day, I found great tenants to backfill her lease, but she whined anyway.
Good for her! Sounds like you should try following the law.
I suppose it depends on the lawyer. I've sued exactly one landlord bc he wouldn't give me back my security deposit or provide a reason why it wasn't being returned within the required 3 weeks after my move out date. Other than that (and only bc I was a broke 26 year old who needed that $ back), I've
never had any issues with any landlords that required me to sue. I found out later on that the one i did sue was FREQUENTLY sued bc of failing to do the things he was supposed to by law but I didn't know that until much later on. My landlords since him have been fine.