We have a multi family rental unit which uses oil for home/water heating.Our tenants are responsible for purchasing their own heating oil.We are trying to figure out a way to determine when/if our tenant is running out of fuel.Our maintenance person has communicated that one unit has repeatedly run out of fuel, creating an increase service cost on their boiler.I know there are WiFi options to meter usage.

With investment properties, any kind of rentals, I often see the story where the owner walks away due to some major repair issue, like a caving in basement or maybe a string of awful tenants drove them away, but in either case, its NOT AT ALL because there's no way they can continue to pay the mortgage payments, its a financial decision and many times may be the best one they have available at the time!

Hello BP community,I am a relatively new landlord, who has a few out of state rentals in South Carolina that were managed by a friend and his property management company.

If you take a loan out that is specifically used for a business expense, such as paying for a rental property down payment or rental repair, then the interest paid for the loan is generally tax deductible, regardless of the source.  

I try to keep what I can...I now have 10 rentals, but some I flip.  

You are going to loose out on a lot of income by doing this .If your cleaner cannot complete a same day turn - time for a new cleaner You would if you were running a 53 acre ranch in Texas with significant additional logistical requirements and maintenance needs (both expected and unexpected) beyond what an average short term rental requires.  

So the question is, does your rental activity qualify as a trade or business or just a passive investment? 

My first Detroit rental was a S8 occupied home in 2019.

I’m about 4 years from retirement and regretting not venturing into this world sooner.I’m currently going back and forth on whether to focus on short term rentals in Florida (Destin, PCB) or long-term single family homes in the Birmingham, Al area.

OR buy the rental from those that provide them, learn as you go, Simple as that.