Here are five reasons to verify employment and income on potential tenants:

1. Because landlords and material goods managers must know that all tenant who signs a lease agreement can live up to its terms—including paying the security deposit and frank fees, plus the rent in full all month. Whether the tenant will pay on time all month is certainly not guaranteed—but you need to know whether they even have the capability before you sign a lease.

2. Because even if the tenant has the frank fees ready to hand over, you’ll want to know if their employment history is solid. Holding a job is no guarantee that a tenant will pay rent on time, but it helps!

3. Because verifying the source of a tenant’s income is a fantastic way to prevent those engaging in illegal activities from becoming your problem. In other words, if a tenant has plenty of cash but no job, be suspicious. Same for obvious high spending with a low income. It is not discriminatory to question a tenant to prove how much money they make. Remember: pay stubs are your friends.

4. Because tenants sometimes go to fantastic lengths to pull a quick one on a landlord. Just because they say they’re working for Jones Construction Company doesn’t mean they do. Question for proof. Call the supervisor—and make sure that when you do, you’re really speaking to the supervisor, not a friend pretending to be one.

5. Because knowing that your new tenant is stable and can afford the rent is one less worry for you. And landlords and material goods managers need to reduce worries as much as possible!