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Real estate industry news, interviews, and educational resources.
19
Feb
2025
Learn how to depreciate improvements on rental properties, maximize tax benefits, and track expenses accurately to boost your investment’s profitability.
18
Accurate rental property bookkeeping is essential if you want to operate a profitable rental property portfolio. Here are our top rental property accounting tips.
13
Learn how to write a lease agreement and the key provisions to include to ensure it is legal and fair so you can protect both yourself and your tenants.
12
Learn how to calculate depreciation on rental property, including methods like straight-line and accelerated depreciation, to maximize tax benefits.
7
Discover free rental property spreadsheet templates to track income, expenses, and tenants. Streamline property management with organized, accurate records.
5
What Is CapEx in real estate, how do you calculate it, and why is tracking capital expenses with Landlord Studio key for smart property investment?
3
What should your rental property spreadsheet template include? And what are the alternative options real estate investors can use to replace clumsy error-prone spreadsheets?
29
Jan
Learn key real estate IRS requirements, common audit triggers for landlords, and how to simplify tax prep and compliance with Landlord Studio’s rental accounting tools.
27
Property management software for small landlords should pack all the features you need in a cost-effective, scalable, and easy-to-use system.
15
Learn what landlords can and cannot do in California, from rent control limits to privacy violations. For legal and professional property management.
Learn how to write a proof of rent payment letter with our step-by-step guide. Download free templates and simplify the process using Landlord Studio.
Cost segregation in real estate allows investors to accelerate their depreciation to decrease tax liabilities in the earlier years of owning their investment property.
Travel and mileage make up a significant tax deduction for landlords. Keep detailed records using software like Landlord Studio.
10
Is it possible to pay no taxes on rental income? If so how? Discover actionable real estate tax strategies to defer taxes, minimize liability, and increase ROI.
Learn what a reasonable rent increase is in 2025, including key factors like market conditions, legal requirements, and tips for managing rent hikes effectively.
According to the IRS regulations, landlords and property managers must now ensure they file form 1099 for rental income over $600.
6
A rent roll shows a property's rental income history, helping owners analyze investments and identify cash flow growth opportunities.
1031 exchange rules enable investors to exchange like-kind properties and defer capital gains tax as part of their wealth building strategy.
1
Having a good rent payment platform is more convenient for landlords and tenants and has been proven to help dramatically reduce late rent payments.
Choosing the right real estate accounting software is key to maximizing profits and avoiding losses in your rental business. Here's what you need to know.
Discover the best rental property management software on the market, whether your portfolio is residential, commercial, big, or small.
Whether you own one unit or a hundred having a solid understanding of real estate accounting is essential for success in the industry
There are several 1099 requirements for landlords, for example, if they hire an independent contractor and pay them more than $600 over the course of the year.
31
Dec
2024
Learn how to handle an IRS audit with confidence. Follow these 6 essential steps to safeguard your financial standing and navigate the audit process smoothly.
Create your personalized rental property analysis spreadsheet and learn the importance of cash flow for real estate investing.
We take a look at the 9 best property management software and how they can help you save time and maximize your real estate portfolio ROI.
23
Maximize tax savings with the home office deduction for rental property owners. Learn eligibility, benefits, and how tools like Landlord Studio simplify tax prep.
Discover how landlords can deduct uninsured casualty and theft losses on taxes. Learn what qualifies, how to calculate deductions, and tools to simplify the process.
Struggling to track income and expenses for your rental properties? We explore the strengths and weaknesses of Quicken Rental Property Manager.
We take a closer look at how to calculate ROI on a rental property, what makes a good ROI, and why you should care.
4
Learn 9 essential steps to renting out your house for the first time, from prepping your property to finding tenants and managing rent.
Nov
Discover essential real estate investment tips to grow your portfolio, plan effectively, and use tools like Landlord Studio to manage finances and maximize returns.
We look at the Schedule E form from a real estate investor's point of view and what the Schedule E categories mean.
25
Landlords should give adequate notice of renewal or non-renewal of lease stating whether or not they intend to renew the lease agreement.
Having access to advanced reports including a rent ledger will allow you to gain deeper insights into your portfolio performance.
14
What is a profit and loss statement for a rental property, what needs to be included, and how it can be used by real estate investors?
Understanding tax on rental income and how to track and report expenses will enable you to reduce your tax bill and increase portfolio profitability.
In this guide, we look at how to track and categorize rental property expenses and what the different IRS expense categories are.
Learn the pros, cons, and tax implications of converting your primary residence to a rental property, plus tips for a smooth transition and maximizing benefits.
30
Oct
Late fees and grace periods vary by state so it's important to familiarize yourself with your state specific landlord-tenant laws.
17
Maximize ROI on rental property renovations with strategic upgrades and effective cost tracking. Learn top renovation tips to boost property value and rental income.
9
What do landlords need to know about squatter's rights, what states have squatters' rights, and what are the laws around evicting unauthorized tenants?
2
Learn how much property managers charge for different property types, including fees and additional costs, to help you make informed decisions.
26
Sep
Learn how to write a clear and professional lease termination letter and manage end-of-lease processes legally and easily.
24
Explore the different tax benefits to investing in rental properties and see how you can leverage them to increase the profitability of your rental portfolio.
We explore what landlords need to know about reporting their rental income tax and tax deductible expenses for their properties.
We take a look at how to evict a tenant with no lease, as well as, when an eviction may be appropriate and what landlords can do to reduce the risk of having to pursue an eviction.
Emotional support animals under the Fair Housing Act are not pets, as such landlords cannot restrict emotional support animals in the same way.
8
As a landlord, you will likely have to raise the rent sometimes. We take a look at how to write a friendly landlord rent increase letter.
With the right real estate tax planning strategies you can significantly reduce your tax liability, improve cash flow, and increase ROI.
Jun
Whether you use QuickBooks for rental properties or Landlord Studio, the right tool to track your expenses will save you time and money.
Mar
Track rental property income and expenses on the go with powerful tools designed for you. Save time and maximize your deductions at tax time.
Understanding real estate investing metrics will help you differentiate a bad deal from a great deal and give you the tools and data you need to achieve rental profitability.
Keeping detailed records of your finances across your investment portfolio will ensure you pay the correct capital gains tax.
22
The pass-through deduction allows qualifying real estate investors to deduct up to 20% of net business earnings from their income taxes.
The net cash flow formula describes income and expenses during a given period of time helping investors understand profit and loss.
Owning and managing rental properties comes with several advantageous tax rules. However, they can be complex and often trigger IRS audits.
21
2023
We outline everuthing your need to know about rental property expenses and how to track them so you can maximize your tax deductions for a more profitable real estate business.
What's the difference between capital improvements and repairs? And how do each need to be accounted for according to the IRS guidelines?
We take a look at the different factors that go into determining how much profit you should make on a rental property.
20
Accelerated depreciation can be a powerful strategy to increase the profitability of your assets in the early years.
Depreciation is the process of deducting the value of the asset and any improvements against your taxes. Find out more in this article.
We outline 15 rental property tax deductions that every landlord needs to know if they want to minimize tax liabilities and maximize ROI.
11
Bonus depreciation in real estate allows you to deduct the full amount of a normally depreciable asset in a single year.
Positive rental property cash flow is essential if you want to run a profitable, scalable business. But how much cash flow in real estate is good?
This rental property tax deductions checklist outlines 21 of the most common expenses that landlords need to track using Landlord Studio.
Aug
Everything you need to know about property management accounting, and how to choose the right software to keep your books up to date.
Understanding rental property taxes is essential if you want to operate a profitable rental property portfolio.
Understanding rental income tax forms like the Schedule E is essential if you want to operate a profitable and scalable portfolio.
We explore why and how to transition from paper and spreadsheets to Landlord Studio for managing your rental property accounting.
Find the best alternative to spreadsheets for managing your properties and make tracking your income and expenses as easy as possible.
Generally, the IRS deems rental income as passive. This means as a landlord you'll likely be subject to passive activity loss limitations.
If you want to run a profitable rental portfolio you need the tools and knowledge to streamline operating costs and maximize your tax deductions.
Keeping track of your mileage will allow you to save hundred on your taxes each year as a landlord. Here are 7 of the best mileage tracker apps for landlords.
2022
Real estate investor software like Landlord Studio is essential for scaling your portfolio, levelling up productivity, and maximizing ROI.
A value based pricing strategy for your real estate accounting firm will help both you and your clients achieve your financial goals.
Jul
As an accountant, having a niche can help you grow your business. Consider offering services tailored to real estate clients.
Successful property management means staying on top of your finances and managing maintenance requests and tenant communications efficiently.
For your accountancy practice, having the right software and processes in place is essential to scale and manage your real estate clients.
May
Accounting software offers powerful tools to help you better manage your investment portfolio. How though, do you use Xero for rentals?
As a property investor, your tangible net worth can directly impact your ability to grow your portfolio. Here's how to track it.
As an accountant, there’s no greater feeling than seeing that your Schedule E clients’ books are organized, accurate, and easily accessible.
Apr
A cash-out refinance is one way for investors to tap into equity and recent appreciation in order to scale their portfolio and build wealth.
Avoid double entry, save time, and operate a professional, scalable rental business with our seamless Xero integration.
Reduce expensive vacancies and keep your great tenants for long with these seven actionable property management tips.
A co-signer can give landlords the peace of mind they need when approving tenants who may not have a good credit score or renting history.
Staging rental properties can help you rent your property faster and can even attract more considerate tenants.
What is a guarantor? A rent guarantor co-signs a tenant's lease and agrees to take responsibility should the tenant default on rent
Landlords must follow best practices and know rental property inspection laws that stipulate when a landlord can enter a rental property.
We deep dive into which of the two biggest platforms, Airbnb or VRBO, is better for your short-term rental business.
How do you write a great listing to stand out from the competition, attract the best tenants, and reduce expensive vacancies?
We take a look at the key features to look for in a tenant tracking and lease management tool to improve your business efficiencies.
Whether you manage one property or fifty, the right tools will help you run a profitable and efficient rental business.
Can and should you charge a pet deposit in California? Pets can cause damage, but they also make your property more attractive to renters.
16
2021
There are several things you need to do to prepare your unit when getting ready to show your rental property to tenants.
Knowing the best time to rent a house can help landlords keep vacancies short and minimize costly vacancy periods.
Ensure you’ve found the right tenant; run a rental history report to check an applicant's rental and eviction history and financial stability
Using social media to advertise your rental is an easy way to get your vacant properties in front of thousands of prospective tenants.
There’s no requirement to have rental application fees, but many landlords choose to charge applicants to cover screening expenses.
Only 46% of renters have Renters Insurance! We've partnered up with Lemonade to help fix this. We outline the top 5 reasons renters insurance is so vital.
What are renters looking for? Although every renter has different priorities, there are eight property amenities that almost everyone wants.
Tenants love their pets and if you don't allow them you could be missing out. But how do you set a good pet policy to protect your rental?
We explore three reliable strategies for vetting your next tenant and successfully renting out your investment property.
We outline four actionable tips to improve your tenant communications to keep tenants happy and reduce expensive vacancies.
We explore some of the alternatives to Cozy for managing your rental listings to minimize vacancies and mitigate the risks of bad tenants.
Tenant tracker tools will help you streamline your property management so that you can spend more time building your rental business.
Keeping your vacation rental property clean and well-maintained is one of the best ways to increase the number and value of your bookings.
Renting out a property for the first time can be a daunting prospect. But, if everything goes to plan you’ll create a new revenue stream...
Knowing these property decorating tips will save you money and ensure your rentals have mass appeal to prospective renters.
Online leasing allows you to streamline property management by leveraging digital tools and reducing the need for face to face interactions.
What happens if you get an applicant with a bad credit score? Should you pass the opportunity to rent or risk having them skip payments?
Landlord's should inspect their property before a tenant moves in and when a tenant moves out using a move-in checklist.
2020
There are disadvantages and advantages of both month to month and annual leases and landlords need to make sure their lease suits their needs.
2019
Awesome! So, you’ve got some new tenants moving in. You can relax now… well, almost. There’s one more key thing to do to welcome you new tenants...
When it comes to rentals, knowing what your tenants actually want, will not only help you secure the best tenants it will also help you retain your tenants.
When it comes to a dispute over property damage, the best protection you can have is pictures of the property before the tenant moved in.
Should you be using Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal to collect rent or a landlord-specific system like Landlord Studio?
We take a look at some of the best rent collection apps that landlords can use to modernize and streamline their rent collection processes.
There are a number of things a landlord can do to avoid missed or late rent payments, from efficient tenant screening to regular reminders...
There are numerous reasons not to use payment apps for rent collection, and now the IRS is cracking down on them too.
The right online rent payment solution will help you ensure on-time payments, reduce admin work, and improve landlord-tenant relationships.
A security deposit return letter should be provided at the end of a tenancy detailing the amount of deposit being returned and itemizing any deductions.
A security deposit receipt serves as proof of payment for the tenant and indicates where the deposit will be held during the lease period.
In this article, we take a closer look at when and how much a landlord can raise the rent and we detail the process for creating a formal rent increase letter for your tenants.
There are several aspects to consider if you want to benefit from collecting the first and last month’s rent while staying within legal guidelines.
Cash and checks are slow, insecure, and outdated ways to collect rent. In this article, we explore the best ways to collect rent from your tenants.
We take a closer look at what exactly rent control is, how rent control works, and its impact on landlords, tenants, and the housing market.
However you collect rent, providing your tenant with a rent receipt is a good business practice, and in some states is a legal requirement.
Collecting back rent must be done properly and in compliance with the renter's rights. Here's what you need to know...
A formal process to increase the rent will make the process easier and ensure that everyone involved is on the same page.
The challenge for real estate investors is understanding what counts as operating expenses and what's not included.
It can be tempting to accept multiple rent payments in advance, however, doing so could land you in trouble later.
An easy-to-use rent collection system for your commercial property will help tenants stay on top of their payments and save you time.
We explore strategies for landlords and real estate investors to increase rental property cash flow and overall profitability
When it comes to the collection of security deposits and first months rent landlord must follow best practices and keep detailed records.
What are the steps landlords can take if the rent is late? And how can you encourage on-time rent with tools like online rent collection?
Should you or shouldn't you accept partial rent payments? And if you do what's the best way to handle them so that everyone wins?
The right online rent collection tool can reduce admin work and increase the likelihood of rent being collected on time.
We look at the pros and cons of collecting rent online versus more traditional methods like cash or check.
By combining these four points you can dramatically reduce both late rent payments and the time and stress of chasing up missed rent.
As the next step towards our ambitious goal to automate rental property management we have launched ACH payments!
We take a look at 3 simple things landlords can do to simplify and improve their rent collection processes to avoid missed rent payments.
The purpose of any software is to help you optimize your processes. Using Zelle for rent collection allows landlords to do just that.
Rental properties are a wonderful investment, but they do have risks such as late rent. We explore how to best handle and reduce late rent payments.
Rents vary greatly from market to market, from one street to the next. Use our free custom rent report and these 6 tips to help get your rent prices right.
Discover the 30% rule home renovation tip and explore the best ROI home improvements to boost your rental property's value and tenant appeal.
Good property maintenance management will keep tenants happy and prevent large unexpected maintenance bills. Here's what landlords need to know...
Well-maintained roofs can reduce energy bills for tenants and make the property more appealing, leading to lower vacancy rates and increased rental income.
Knowing the types of rental property maintenance expenses to expect can help you evaluate potential purchases and budget for future maintenance costs.
Save time, reduce costs, and keep your property in tip-top condition with property maintenance management software like Landlord Studio.
This vacation rental inventory checklist provides you with a baseline of the amenities and furnishings you need to provide.
We ask, what are the pros and cons of using a smart lock or rental lock box for your property and how do you choose the best one for you?
Pests in a rental can compromise the structure of the property, and the health of your tenants. Are landlords responsible for pest control?
28
A move in or move out inspection allows you to identify damage caused by tenants and any maintenance that needs to be carried out.
Providing an itemized list of damages will set a clear expectation for your tenants, should any property damage occur during their stay.
Do you keep your rental property in good shape? In the long run, preventative maintenance can save you time, money and stress. It's a win-win.
Wear and tear is part and parcel of operating a rental property. It is the minor damage that comes about through normal everyday living.
The best flooring for your rental property is cost-effective, durable, and easy to clean. We outline the pros and cons of common floorings.
We explore the best way to manage and track maintenance expenses to ensure you never miss a deductible expense again.
While maintenance is still a requirement for your properties, carrying out maintenance safely during COVID-19 is a new challenge.
When it comes to property maintenance, there's always seems to something that needs attention. How can you optimize maintenance management?
We outline 9 renovation ideas to consider when planning your property refurb. Find out how to add value and appeal to your investment property...
Landlords often find themselves with many roles and positions, everything from property management to prospective therapist.
Every property has its own idiosyncrasies, and a rental is no different. Here are 10 maintenance jobs you can do yourself to save yourself $1000s...
What is material participation? What are the material participation tests? And what does it mean to materially participate in real estate?
To help you streamline your tax season we've put together this guide outlining the main landlord tax documents you need to know about.
We take a look at rental property cost basis and the role it plays in capital gains tax and depreciation recapture.
A rental property income statement is central to understanding your portfolio and is a key figure for several important real estate metrics.
Depreciation recapture is a tax provision that allows the IRS to collect taxes on the profitable sale of a depreciated asset.
Safe harbors are rules implemented by the IRS to allow qualifying entities to simplify their tax filings and save money.
Is rental income deemed active or passive by the IRS and how does this affect how rental income is taxed?
The short-term rental tax loophole is a strategy real estate investors can use to help mitigate their rental income tax by offsetting earned income with real estate losses.
A great real estate CPA can help you improve cash flow, minimize tax liabilities, and grow your portfolio.
How you can use TurboTax for your rentals and why so many investors use Landlord Studio and TurboTax together for an easier tax time.
Discover how the IRS knows if you have rental income, the risks of misfiling, and essential property management tools to keep you compliant.
What is real estate professional status, how do you qualify, and how can it help you reduce your rental property taxes?
Learn about Schedule C vs Schedule E and which form you need when declaring your rental property income and expenses at tax time.
Below, we take a look at essential real estate investing tax strategies that investors need to know to mitigate taxes and increase profits.
Are their states without property tax? We explore the best and worst states for real estate investing according to the real estate tax rates in each.
What is a T12 in real estate, and how should real estate investors track income and expenses to create an accurate & useful trailing twelve months report?
When it comes to filing your short-term rental tax, your financial records need to be organized and accessible.
Cash-on-cash return vs cap rate in real estate - both are important ROI metrics that investors use to measure the financial health of rentals.
Gross yield for real estate is a calculation that lets you easily compare properties with different values and rental returns.
Taxes on a rental property sale can quickly compile. Landlords need to be aware of these taxes and plan accordingly.
With some exceptions, landlords are entitled to deduct operating expenses, including HOA fees and COA fees, from their taxable rental income.
What is pro forma in real estate and how can real estate investors use pro forma calculations to analyze potential deals.
We take a look at what it takes to qualify as a real estate professional and the tax benefits that come with this status.
Though some closing costs are tax deductible on a rental property, most must be added to the properties basis and depreciated.
Landlord-tenant laws at federal, state and local levels aim to protect both parties during the rental process.
The Cap Rate and ROI are good starting points when comparing multiple potential investments. How're they calculated and how're they different?