My top producing listing agent asked very few questions re: the buyer's qualifications and I found out there was a gift letter that was not disclosed at contract presentation...we got to settlement but I ended up babysitting the rest of the transaction which was something the lister should have been doing.

I'd like to get some tax advantages off the property, either by putting it in my companies name, getting some sort of "gift" value from it, etc...I didnt know if I should tell them to buy the house they want, put it in my company name, and then I can take a loss off the "rent" that they dont pay the first few years?

Can I classify my friends rent payments to me as a gift?

Is there something like a gift tax (not inheritance, just gift) in New York or New York City?

Before today I actually thought I was a pretty good landlord...provide a quality product...have all my tenants setup on routine maintenance visits, and even send out gift cards around the holidays. 

If you can’t would she gift her portion, or you would try to buy out all four?

If it bothers you, perhaps you could gift your tenants with new slippers come next winter. :)

Does anyone have experience gifting an interest in a LLC?

If they choose to "gift" money to you, so be it, but if they have a rental property allow them to treat you as any other tenant.

In my experience, a HML may allow equity partner funds for a down payment, cash-to-close, and loan reserves and also may allow gift funds.