Hi Douglas Stewart, This may sound like an over simplified answer, but I always clarify this issue as part of the lease (all utilities in tenants name) and generally, I do not accept funds for first/last or damage deposit-until a tenant provides a receipts for their deposit/initiation of utilities.  

Airbnb integration isn’t ideal but they have a widget that simplifies things.

So the strategy of continuing to defer the tax with 1031s but not adding depreciable basis in the form of purchasing more becomes attractive as well as simplifying and moving from active to passive investing.I'd also take a close look at those properties they are selling. 

The damage is determined to be depreciated by 20% (used to simplify the example.

Many states do have a simplified system for getting referral fees from other agents.

This creates a W-2 and simplifies your personal return.

My HVAC-R equipment comes from a trade simplified supply house.

Having read the "Project Simplify" plan I see where the move is coming from and look forward to future changes to improve the community.

What would happen if it really was simplified......heaven forbid, jobs would be lost, markets would fall we'd all be had!

I'd like to write a "holding fee" feature into my paperwork, and I like Jon Holdman's method of converting the fee into the security deposit (simplified accounting), but security deposits in my area only seem to run 40-50% of rent, which would give me two weeks before I'm losing money on the property (assuming other demand is there).