Then at the end of the month/quarter you just have to do the math to deduct their usage from the total and bill it how you want.Best option for me going forward is to simply not look at properties that aren't individually metered already haha

Buying an investment here also gives you a reason to vacation here and use it as a tax deduction. 

Also, account for all the tax benefits of ownership, such as mortgage interest deductions, depreciation, and deductions associated with expenses.

You can raise the deductibles; you can make it actual cash value or functional replacement cost! 

But classifying your depreciation (either the leftover annual depreciation after taking bonus depreciation, or the regular amount of depreciation if you didn't take bonus depreciation) can be taken as an active deduction against your W2 income for as long as you materially participate in the property.Disclaimer: I'm not a tax professional so not financial advice. 

Do I have the ability to take interest and taxes as a deduction on my return?

Also she deducted funds from my account last year to pay water bills and I found out those were never forwarded to the water company so I had to pay that out of pocket last.  

I asked my accountant if I can deduct anything in the property like depreciation and he said since nothing is in my name tax wise I can't.

The IRS wants you to pay taxes on the depreciation you previously claimed as deductions since it reduced your taxable income.

You can't take depreciation deductions on a primary residence.I have a feeling that converting this rental to a primary will also unleash a huge tax bill in the form of depreciation recapture.