Landlords are entitled to a tax deduction whenever they drive anywhere for their rental activity. This includes driving costs incurred for rent collection, meeting your tenants to handle their problems and going to the hardware store to buy tools and materials for repairs.
In my case, I travel to my rental properties frequently, usually just to do a drive by and make sure everything looks like it should.
It Pays to Drive By Your Properties
I used to drive by one of my properties on a daily basis, because I was having trouble with the tenants. They were pretty good tenants for the first two years that they were there, then things started to slowly unravel the next two years. They started paying their rental checks later and later. They weren’t keeping up the front yard. They were having large parties.
Finally, the cops had to come to the house and break up a party, and that was the last straw. I evicted them (by simply canceling their month-to-month contract). Now, I don’t drive by the property so frequently, because we have more reliable tenants.
» Read more: Make Sure to Take the Landlord’s Travel Tax Exemption
