Renting Property & Lawn Care Services - What's Tax Deductible?
Hey so I recently started renting out my basement apartment to help cover my mortgage. I've been doing all the lawn care myself - mowing, fertilizing, weed control etc. I probably spend about 6-7 hours a week maintaining everything during spring/summer/fall. Can I deduct any of these expenses on my taxes? What about the equipment I bought (new mower was $475, weed trimmer $150, leaf blower $200)? Also bought fertilizer and weed killer about $300 this year. I'm tracking all my rental income properly but not sure what I can write off for the outdoor maintenance. The tenant has access to the backyard as part of their lease if that matters. Do I need receipts for everything? First time landlord here so any advice is appreciated!
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Paolo Longo
Yes, you can deduct lawn care expenses related to your rental property! Since your tenant has access to the backyard, that definitely helps establish it as part of the rental property. Here's what you should know: For the equipment purchases (mower, trimmer, blower), these are considered capital expenses and need to be depreciated over their useful life rather than deducted all at once. The IRS generally considers lawn equipment to have a 5-year useful life. The supplies like fertilizer and weed killer are fully deductible in the year you purchase them. Your own labor isn't deductible (unfortunately the IRS doesn't let us deduct the value of our own time), but any supplies or services you pay for are. You'll report these expenses on Schedule E when you file your taxes. And yes, definitely keep all receipts! Documentation is crucial if you're ever audited.
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Amina Bah
•So if I understand right, the $300 for fertilizer can be fully deducted this year, but the equipment has to be spread out over 5 years? How exactly do I calculate that depreciation amount each year? Also, what about gas for the mower?
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Paolo Longo
•Yes, you've got it right about the fertilizer being fully deductible this year. For the equipment depreciation, you would generally use MACRS (Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System) for a 5-year property. The percentage you can deduct each year varies: 20% first year, 32% second year, 19.2% third year, 11.52% fourth year, 11.52% fifth year, and 5.76% in the sixth year (it spreads into 6 calendar years). Gas for the mower is considered a supply and is fully deductible in the year you purchase it. Just make sure you keep track of all receipts and only deduct the portion used for the rental property if you're also using it for your personal residence.
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Oliver Becker
After dealing with similar landlord tax questions for years, I discovered this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much headache with my rental property deductions. I was confused about what percentage of my lawn care costs I could deduct since I live in the main part of the house, and this tool analyzed my receipts and gave me clear guidance on proper allocation between personal and rental use! The tool takes all your rental expense receipts and categorizes them properly for tax purposes - it even caught that I could partially deduct my homeowners insurance which my previous accountant missed. They specifically have a section for landlords that covers these exact scenarios.
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CosmicCowboy
•Does it actually tell you what percentage to allocate for shared spaces like a yard? My accountant just guesses and I always wondered if there's a more accurate way.
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Natasha Orlova
•I've tried other tax tools before and they were useless for rental property questions. How exactly does this one work with mixed-use properties? Does it integrate with tax filing software or is it just for planning?
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Oliver Becker
•The tool actually provides guidance on allocation methods based on square footage, which is the IRS-preferred method for mixed-use properties. It suggested I measure the rental portion square footage compared to total property square footage and use that percentage for shared spaces like yards. This gives you a defensible calculation rather than a random guess. For tax software integration, it doesn't directly file your taxes, but it produces a detailed report you can give to your accountant or use yourself when entering information in any tax software. It categorizes everything properly according to Schedule E requirements and provides proper documentation for your records in case of audit.
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CosmicCowboy
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai for my rental property deductions! It was actually super helpful for my situation. I uploaded my lawn care receipts and property info, and it calculated that I could deduct 35% of my shared yard expenses based on my specific rental setup. It even flagged that my new lawnmower needed to be depreciated differently than the supplies. The best part was it created an organized document showing all my legitimate deductions that I can just hand to my accountant. Saved me from having to figure out all the allocation percentages myself and gave me peace of mind that I'm not missing deductions or claiming too much. Definitely worth checking out if you're a landlord with these kinds of questions!
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Javier Cruz
If you're getting frustrated trying to reach the IRS for clarification on rental property deductions (like I was), try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get someone at the IRS on the phone about my lawn care depreciation questions. With Claimyr, I got through in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was specifically confused about how to handle partial deductions for equipment used on both my personal and rental portions of the property, and needed official guidance. The IRS agent I finally spoke to was actually really helpful once I could actually reach a human!
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Emma Thompson
•Wait, how does this actually work? Do they just call the IRS for you or something? I'm confused.
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Malik Jackson
•Yeah right. Nothing gets you through to the IRS faster. This sounds like a total scam - they're probably just charging people for something you can do yourself for free. Has anyone else actually tried this?
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Javier Cruz
•It uses a callback system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. When they reach an agent, you get a call connecting you directly. They don't talk to the IRS for you - they just handle the waiting part so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. I understand the skepticism - I felt the same way initially! But it's not about doing something you can't do yourself, it's about saving you from wasting an entire afternoon on hold. The IRS wait times have been absolutely brutal lately, especially during tax season when I needed answers about my rental property.
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Malik Jackson
Ok I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to someone about my rental property depreciation. Not only did it actually work, but I got through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had previously wasted THREE HOURS on hold and still got disconnected. The agent confirmed exactly how to handle the lawn equipment depreciation for my rental property and explained how to document mixed-use percentages for the yard. Saved me a ton of headache and potentially an audit flag. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong about something!
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Isabella Costa
One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you hire someone to do the lawn work instead of doing it yourself, that's 100% deductible as a rental expense (for the rental portion). I switched from doing it myself to hiring a service for $125/month and it simplified my taxes tremendously. No more tracking gas, supplies, or dealing with depreciation calculations. Just a simple service expense on Schedule E.
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StarSurfer
•But doesn't hiring someone cost way more than doing it yourself? I'm trying to maximize profit on my rental. Seems like the tax benefit wouldn't outweigh the extra cost?
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Isabella Costa
•It depends on how you value your time. For me, spending 6-7 hours a week on lawn care wasn't worth it when I calculated my hourly rate from my main job. Even with the tax benefits of doing it myself, I'm actually coming out ahead financially by working those hours and paying a service. You also need to consider the simplicity factor. Tracking all those small expenses, calculating depreciation, and determining allocation percentages adds complexity to your taxes. For some landlords, the simplicity of a single service expense is worth a bit more cost. But you're right that purely from a cash perspective, doing it yourself is usually cheaper even with the partial deduction.
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Ravi Malhotra
Quick question - I'm in the same situation but I already had the lawn equipment before I started renting out part of my house. Can I still claim depreciation on these items even though I purchased them earlier for personal use?
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Paolo Longo
•When you convert personal assets to rental use, you can begin depreciating them based on their fair market value at the time of conversion, not the original purchase price. So yes, you can claim depreciation, but it would be based on what the equipment was worth when you started using it for the rental, which is typically less than what you paid originally.
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Maya Jackson
Great question! Yes, you can definitely deduct lawn care expenses for your rental property. Since your tenant has access to the backyard, that portion of your yard maintenance is a legitimate rental expense. Here's what you need to know: **Equipment ($825 total):** These are capital expenses that must be depreciated over time, not deducted all at once. Lawn equipment typically has a 5-year depreciation schedule under MACRS. **Supplies ($300 fertilizer/weed killer):** These are fully deductible in the year purchased - much simpler! **Your labor:** Unfortunately, you can't deduct the value of your own time, but any materials you buy are fair game. **Mixed-use allocation:** Since you live in the main house, you'll need to determine what percentage of the yard maintenance relates to the rental vs. your personal use. The IRS typically accepts square footage calculations (rental space ÷ total property space). **Documentation:** Yes, keep all receipts! You'll report these on Schedule E, and good records are essential if you're ever audited. Pro tip: Consider whether the time you spend on lawn care might be better spent on other income-generating activities. Some landlords find that hiring a service simplifies their taxes and frees up time, even if it costs a bit more upfront.
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Samuel Robinson
•This is such a helpful breakdown! I'm new to being a landlord too and had no idea about the mixed-use allocation based on square footage. That makes so much sense. Quick follow-up question - when you calculate the rental space vs total property space, do you include just the indoor square footage or the entire lot size? Like if my basement apartment is 600 sq ft and my total house is 2000 sq ft, but we're talking about yard work that covers the whole 0.5 acre lot, how does that work exactly?
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