Allowable Expenses for House Hacking

[Lucas Hammer]

So my wife and I are in a contract to purchase a 2-flat and we'll be living in one unit while renting the other one. I know that expenses for upgrades and repairs can be written off, but I found it hard to figure out what other allowable expenses there are. We will not (at least for a bit) be using an LLC and will just be self-managing the property. I'm expecting there to be a decent amount of updates done soon, so I'll be able to expense those, but I wasn't sure if things like operating meetings, canvasing the neighborhood to compare other prices (mileage and or related dinners to see the area), etc. are included if we're not an LLC.

For the record, I'm not wanting specific legal advice as we plan on getting a CPA before tax season, but more of a guideline on what we can and can't claim as operating expenses for the unit we'll be renting. Thanks in advance.