Because we have a diverse population, many different holidays are celebrated during the winter months. Holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa can take a toll on us all: The preparation, planning, hosting, and cleaning can really tire you out! We hope that the following mini-guide will help you with your winter holiday prep and clean up.

First of all, planning and preparation takes time. The time you put into it, however, will reap massive benefits. You should get holiday parties that you will be hosting, and those that you will be attending, up on your calendar as soon as possible. Take immediate note of staffing requirements early on so that your crew can plan accordingly. Be especially sensitive to each of your staff members during this time; each member will likely have his or her own commitments to attend to, so plan around that early on in the process by asking everybody what their current commitments are during the winter holidays.

When it comes to tenant screening, a landlord or property manager cannot be too cautious. Potential tenants need to be screened in order to protect yourself, your assets, your property, and—perhaps most of all—your reputation. There are a variety of potential pitfalls when it comes to new tenants; it is best that you perform a thorough background check.

In fact, it is an extremely good investment to do full tenant screening checks. For as little as fifteen to twenty dollars, you can get a tenant screening that checks for a tenant’s past evictions, as well as bankruptcies, judgments, and liens. You can also check a possible tenant’s credit history, where he’s lived in the past, as well as his criminal record.