Can it be as simple as just beginning to use a business name in your marketing without formally filing it with any governing body?

So do as you wish but use have some compassion and since a State of emergency has been declared YOU can file a claim to recoup your LOST INCOME!

Hi there-I am in the process of listing my new purchase (townhome) for leasing in VA, and I have an applicant who is willing to rent with good financials but recently filed for divorce.

- I read in BP that the agent doesn't matter much, as it doesn't play a role when a claim is filed.

With this SEC site, you can perform a quick search of a company to determine if there have been complaints filed with the SEC.  

When I ran the numbers for both units filed with tenants the profit cashed flowed great, but with me living in the property it didn’t cash flow: not by much.

If you pay them more than $600 this year, you'll need to get a W9 from them so you can file 1099's next year.

Sometimes an LLC will have only one member and choose to be taxed as a sole proprietor which means that it does not file it's own tax return. 

After standard deduction 24,800(married filing jointly), I have a negative taxable income of -24800 which is same as 0, meaning I don't get any bonus points for having large negative income.

It will save you money and also be easier to file your business returns at the beginning of the year because they're the most familiar with your business.