Tax advantages for rental

[Chris Drury]

Hi all
I have a previous house (now rental) that is quite underwater. I paid about 10k in repair costs this year for a new HVAC and the basement had to be excavated due to the plumbing collapsing under the house. Yeah, fun...

Last few years I have been able to largely break even given the mortgage payments and taxes were about equal to the rental income. This year I was about to post a profit before all these repairs.

My question is whether I can deduct these expenses. I would think I would have to depreciate the HVAC purchase over 15yrs or so and the plumbing expenses surely would make this year a loss.

As I read the tax codes I believe I need to be a real estate professional (not my full time job) to be able to report as a loss.

It would be great to deduct these expenses this year if possible. Any suggestions for maximizing the tax benefits of rental property for "non professionals"?