A routine analysis of the residences most frequented by Surprise police for nuisance calls reveals a majority of them are rental properties maintained by careless landlords, police said.

The monthly analysis shows many property owners are swift to rent out their homes without conducting background checks and opting to take money up front - two costly, yet common mistakes, said Sgt. Mark Ortega, a Surprise police spokesman.

“We understand (the circumstances of) the housing economy and people are trying to pay off those mortgages,” Ortega said. “But we are asking folks to take that extra step and screen these people that they’re renting to.”

The City Council recently passed a rental accountability ordinance aimed at improving rental-property management in a city that boasts more than 4,000 registered rentals.

Also, the ordinance addresses out-of-state landowners and so-called slum properties.

Working with homeowners associations and the county, the city’s code enforcement department is verifying to see if rental properties are registered with the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office.

This is part of a database that is still in its early stages, said Lupe LaBorin-Romero, a code enforcement inspector. The effort has been reinforced with the hiring of a rental accountability specialist, she said at a recent police beat team meeting.

Law enforcement plays a key part in this endeavor.

Every month, the Police Department’s crime analyst draws up a list of the Top Ten “nuisance properties” visited most often by police officers, Ortega said. Police determine if properties on the list are homes or businesses and see what types of calls come up most.

If it is a home, police will track down the homeowner and investigate the situation.

If the owner does not live at the residence, then “we make sure (the owner) knows the property is a nuisance,” Ortega said.

The rental-property database will not be used for punitive reasons, but as a “tool to educate, more than anything else,” he said.

Ortega said landlords make the common mistake of taking a large sum of money up front from renters, which could be a warning sign that the home will be used as a drophouse or methamphetamine lab.

Recently, a Surprise homeowner was notified that his home was raided by immigration officials and Surprise police when it was discovered it was used as a drophouse, he said. After the ordeal, the man had found a gaping hole in his ceiling and his door kicked in, police said.

“That is the cost of doing business with criminals,” Ortega said. “It may seem very attractive up front - the cash, with no questions asked. But in the end, you have to deal with the fact your house will be trashed.”

The Surprise Police Department offers these tips to people who rent out homes:

• Hire licensed private investigators to conduct background checks on potential renters. Do not skimp on the cost of a report.

• Make sure renters sign a “crime-free lease addendum,” a document that has been added to the landlord-tenant law. If tenants sign it and commit a crime on the property, they can be evicted, Ortega said.

• Do not take large up-front sums for rent.