When a landlord rents a house to another person he or she takes a big risk that the renter is a responsible party who won't damage the property. For this reason many landlords are very selective about whom they'll rent to. Here's a tip for you to be prepared to sell yourself to a prospective landlord.

Assemble a package of informational material you can provide the future landlord. In the package give names, addresses and contact phone numbers for the last three places where you were a renter. Include a statement of your income to reassure the landlord that you can afford the rent. It is also best if you can attach a copy of your most recent credit report.

The whole idea here is to reassure the landlord that you have a history of responsible renting, you can afford the rent and that your credit history with those you deal with is good. If you do that the landlord will be more willing to rent to you rather than someone else.