I was in the rental business for about 25 years and for the most part, sooner or later all tenants suck. If they were worth a damn, they would buy a house.
Definitely, get a credit report and check previous landlords, but keep in mind, landlords will lie to you to get rid of a bad tenant.
There are a few good tenants out there, but there about as common as unicorns.
The happiest day of my life was the day I sold my last rental property. Good luck!