• property taxes • licensing fees • occupancy taxes
• insurance, including liability, hazard, fire, sewer backup, flood, and loss of income (talk to a tax professional if you have an umbrella liability policy or a landlord liability policy) • maintenance, repairs, improvements, and cleaning • advertising • commissions to real estate agents or property managers who find tenants and renew leases (this is considered part of marketing, not property management) • property management fees, salaries, and benefits (if you manage yourself and your business is an LLC or corporation, you may be able to be employed and have your salary be deductible) • homeowners’ association fees (HOAs), as well as whatever HOA requires, such as specific “For Rent” signs • professional and legal fees, including bookkeeping, filing taxes, and all legal work • any losses incurred up to $25,000 per year; anything over that can be carried over to the next year. Note that your tax savings will be less than you lost • Social Security (FICA) or self-employment taxes (the benefits vary, but can range from about 7.5% to 15.3% of your profit) • second/vacation homes rented out for at least two weeks per year might allow you to write off advertising and rental commission and prorate other expenses • some states have historic tax credits that include both the rental operation and/or any renovations
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