This warning came after a Dunedin property owned by a Mosgiel-based landlord was trashed by evicted tenants last week.
Meatworker Brian Hurring (48) bought two Forbury Corner villas in November last year.
Twenty years ago he had sold a rental property and vowed "not to do it again".
He now wishes he had never gone back on that decision after this week discovering one of the flats trashed by its departing tenants.
Bags of used disposable nappies were strewn over the floor among piles of rubbish and the house was littered in cat faeces.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was vermin in here somewhere," he said.
While he had no problems with his other property, "this one had been a disaster".
Concerned about no bond being paid, payments falling behind and the number of people staying at the flat, Mr Hurring decided to evict the tenants in January.
"I made a mistake in not checking out the tenants properly and it has been a headache ever since," he said.
The person who signed the original lease died in January, and "I did not want to seem like the landlord from hell - so I gave them some time".
Instead Mr Hurring received a letter from their lawyer, saying they were not liable for any payments because their names were not on the lease - but they would like to have a tenancy.
What followed was three months of trying to evict the residents, involving lawyers, the Tenancy Tribunal and finally the police.
Mr Hurring managed to evict the residents on Saturday.
He now faced a large cleaning bill and a vacant property, and warned people about the perils of becoming a landlord.
"This whole process has cost me thousands and it just hasn't been worth it.
Something needs to be done to make people more accountable for their actions."
Department of Building and Housing spokesperson Matt Radley said records of individual tenancy agreements were not kept but the Ministry of Justice maintained a record of tenancy tribunal orders online.
There were certain measures a landlord could take to vet prospective tenants such as requesting the names of those who intended to live in the property, he said.
Otago Property Investors Association president and full-time landlord Cliff Seque said it was important for landlords to check the references of would-be tenants.
"Ask for references from previous landlords and always check references.
Nine out of 10 people are fine, but the occasional one can cause headaches."
Landlords needed to remember they were involved in a business, Mr Seque said.
"It is always easier to say no at the start than clean up the mess later on."
