Utility billing (RUBS), property management software, depreciation schedules, landlord insurance, tenant screening, and cost segregation for small multifamily owners.
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Start with depreciation and Schedule E. The tax rules are where small multifamily owners leave the most money on the table.
Landlord GuideA complete screening process for 2-4 unit landlords: written criteria, credit report red flags, eviction and criminal history within HUD and state limits, income and employment verification, references, a weighting framework, and the FCRA and Fair Housing rules that protect you when you say no.
Landlord GuideWhat a landlord (DP-3) policy covers and excludes, why the standard liability limit is not enough, how umbrella coverage works and what it costs, the claims that actually happen, a coverage structure by portfolio size, and where an LLC fits.
Landlord GuideWhen refinancing a duplex or fourplex makes sense: rate-and-term versus cash-out, the LTV caps and seasoning rules for investment property, the break-even calculation and the amortization reset trap, a worked example comparing a cash-out refinance to a HELOC, and the underwriting checklist.
Landlord GuideThe complete like-kind exchange process for small multifamily investors: what qualifies, the 45-day and 180-day clocks, the three identification rules, the qualified intermediary, a worked duplex-to-fourplex exchange with the debt and equity math, boot, and the failure modes that cost people their deferral.
Landlord GuideHow a cost segregation study reclassifies part of a building into 5-, 7-, and 15-year property, what 100% bonus depreciation does to the first-year deduction on a $450,000 fourplex, study costs and break-even, who should not do it, and the recapture trade-off.
Landlord GuideEvery deductible expense line on Schedule E for duplex and fourplex owners, the seven deductions landlords most often miss, the passive loss rules and the $25,000 allowance, a worked snapshot showing positive cash flow and a taxable loss, and the records to keep.
Landlord GuideThe betterment, restoration, and adaptation tests, a table of common rental expenditures classified each way, the three safe harbors that let small landlords expense more now, the cash-flow difference on $12,000 of work, and the documentation that protects the deduction.
Landlord GuideHow rental property depreciation works: allocating basis between land and building, the mid-month convention and the IRS first-year table, a $380,000 duplex worked in full, what else depreciates separately, the cash-flow effect, and recapture on sale.
Landlord GuideHow to pick property management software for a duplex to a small portfolio: the six features that matter, how the main platforms differ in pricing model and strengths, the ACH fee math, a setup checklist, and when a spreadsheet is still enough.
Landlord GuideHow to shift water, gas, and electric costs to tenants legally: submetering costs and payback, RUBS allocation formulas, the state and local rules that govern both, the hybrid approach most small landlords should use, and the NOI and valuation impact.