Okoniq Journal
Property tips, taxes & HOA guides
Plain-language guides for homeowners, landlords, and HOA boards — written to help you stay organized and keep more of your money at tax time.
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Getting Started
New to managing property? Start here.
Taxes & Accounting
Deductions, basis, Schedule E, and staying audit-ready.
Renting & Tenants
Leases, rent, screening, and tenant relationships.
Maintenance & Repairs
Upkeep, vendors, and keeping a home in shape.
Mortgage & Money
Financing, refinancing, insurance, and cash flow.
Buying & Selling
Valuation, prepping to sell, and the closing process.
HOA & Community
Boards, reserves, meetings, and living in an HOA.
Latest articles
1099-NEC vs 1099-MISC for Landlords — Which Form to Use
Starting in 2026, you'll issue a 1099-NEC if you paid a contractor $2,000 or more during the year — 1099-MISC covers rent, prizes, and other payments.
Form 1098 Mortgage Interest Explained — What Landlords Need
Form 1098 reports the mortgage interest and sometimes property tax your lender paid — Box 1 is the figure most landlords deduct on Schedule E.
Can Landlords Deduct Education Expenses? IRS Rules in 2026
Education costs that maintain or improve your current rental-business skills can be deducted — but new-trade courses and basic landlord qualification cannot.
Does the IRS Accept Scanned or Photographed Receipts?
The IRS accepts digital copies of paper receipts as long as they're accurate, legible, and stored securely — no paper required.
Depreciation Allowed or Allowable — Why Unclaimed Deductions Still Count
The IRS reduces your basis by the depreciation allowed OR allowable at sale — meaning you may pay recapture even if you never claimed the deduction.
De Minimis Safe Harbor $2,500 — How Landlords Use It
The de minimis safe harbor lets landlords expense items under $2,500 per invoice instead of capitalizing them, cutting paperwork and lowering current-year taxes.
Converting Rental to Primary Residence — Tax Consequences
Moving into a former rental triggers a conversion event — depreciation recapture stays in play, nonqualified use reduces your §121 exclusion, and you stop depreciating the day you move in.
Converting Primary Home to Rental — Tax Effects & Basis Rules
Converting a primary residence to a rental triggers basis calculations, depreciation, and lookback rules that affect taxes at sale — conversion date records matter most.
Chart of Accounts for Landlords — A 4-Section Starter
A consistent chart of accounts makes Schedule E prep faster and gives you year-over-year trends at a glance — here's the four-section framework owner-operators use.
Casualty Loss Deduction for Rental Property — How Landlords File
Rental property casualty losses follow simpler rules than personal-use losses — no disaster declaration required, but documentation and the FMV test still matter.
Cash vs Accrual Accounting for Rentals — Which One?
Cash accounting records when money moves; accrual records when the obligation occurs — most individual landlords use cash, but the choice affects what appears on your return each year.
Capitalize vs Expense? A 4-Question Decision Tree for Landlords
A four-question decision tree turns the capitalize-or-expense decision from guesswork into a repeatable process backed by IRS rules.
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