Deducting travel expenses as a owner-occupant landlord - what's allowed?

Your question is a good one! The confusion is understandable because the rules around landlord deductions can get tricky when you're an owner-occupant. Here's the thing - commuting expenses to and from your regular job are generally considered personal expenses and aren't deductible, even when you're also a landlord at your residence. The IRS views these as normal commuting costs, not expenses directly related to your rental activity. The travel expenses you can deduct as a landlord would be things like: driving to purchase supplies for the rental portion, traveling to meet potential new tenants, going to the bank specifically for your rental business, or trips to handle maintenance issues for the rental portion of your property. For these legitimate rental-related trips, you would indeed prorate the expenses based on the rental percentage of your home (50% in your case). Keep a detailed log of the date, purpose, and costs of each trip to substantiate the deduction if questioned.

I went through this exact same situation last year and was totally confused about what I could deduct. I tried researching online but kept getting conflicting information. Finally, I used taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it saved me so much headache. I just uploaded my receipts and rental agreement and it figured out what portion was deductible for my owner-occupied rental situation. It even helped me understand which of my train rides actually qualified as deductible (turns out trips specifically to meet with potential new roommates or to buy supplies counted!).

Ok I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai. I finally tried it after being skeptical last tax season. I was facing a similar owner-occupied rental situation but with additional complications since I also had some Airbnb income. It actually found several travel deductions I was missing completely - like when I drove to meet with potential tenants and to purchase supplies specifically for the rental units. The documentation it provided for each deduction was really thorough. Saved me over $800 in taxes I would've overpaid.

If you're really stuck with the IRS on this rental property travel deduction issue, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was going back and forth with the IRS for months about my owner-occupied rental deductions because they kept questioning my travel expenses. I couldn't get anyone on the phone no matter how many times I called. I found Claimyr and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent was able to clarify exactly what documentation I needed to substantiate my deductions.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was desperate to resolve an issue with my rental property deductions that had been dragging on for months. Tried Claimyr as a last resort and got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent clarified that I could indeed deduct travel expenses for trips specifically related to my rental activities, but not regular commuting. They helped me understand exactly how to document these expenses properly. Would have saved me months of stress if I'd just tried it sooner.

Something nobody mentioned yet - if your roommate is paying below market rate (like if they're a friend or family member), the IRS might classify this as personal use rather than a legitimate rental activity. This could affect your ability to deduct ANY expenses, including travel. Make sure you're charging a reasonable market rate!

Have you looked into Schedule E for reporting rental income and expenses? That's where you'd include any legitimate travel expenses related to your rental activity. You'll need to calculate the percentage of your home that's rented (sounds like 50% in your case) and then apply that to qualifying expenses. Remember to save all receipts and keep a mileage log if you're using a car for rental-related travel!