Deprecation never taken and can't claim rental losses

[Jeff Mitchell]

Hello,

I am asking this question for a co-worker. He bought a rental property 15 years ago and has never taken depreciation on that property. Not clear on the reason for not taking it, I think he just had a bad accountant. What are his options? If he were to claim all 15 years now, he would lose out on a lot of money since he makes more than 150K in ordinary income. (rental real estate loss allowance)

Is there a way to start the depreciation clock now or does he have to take all 15years now at once?

If he were to take all 15 years now, even though it doesn't allow him to write off the losses, will it still count against him when he sells the property?(depreciation recapture)

I think he could amend his last three taxes so it could take it back to 12 years in 2017 to lessen the loss a little. Or he could sell the property (never claim depreciation) and would not worry about depreciation recapture, correct?

Thanks,

Jeff