Flood Insurance Worksheet Form: Fill & Download for Free

“When taking out a mortgage loan, I have the ability to have a 3.5% for down payment, but the mortgage lender is also saying that there is an extra closing cost fee $5,500 on a 150k home. So in total it would be about 10k. Is this true?”To find out whether that $5,500 makes sense or not, ask your lender for a Fee Worksheet or a Loan Estimate. A Loan Estimate is required to be given once you’ve made a formal application with a Lender.[1][1][1][1] Fee Worksheets take about 5 seconds to generate and most Loan Officers will happily provide one. If you’re working with a decent LO, they should not only give you this itemized list of the closing costs and prepaid items, they should also happily go over it with you and explain what each charge is, why you’re paying it, and who you’re paying it to. If you’re paying $5,500 just in origination charges (discount points, processing, underwriting, etc.) RUN. That person is attempting to rob you blind. Get a quote from another Lender, if not more than one. So long as all quotes are being done within a 30 day period, and they’re all for a single credit transaction (such as shopping for a mortgage) multiple credit pulls will not hurt your credit.Once you get that Fee Worksheet, you will see what that $5,500 entails. Whether that amount is reasonable depends on where you’re buying. Your prepaid items (first year of Homeowner’s Insurance, Flood Insurance if required, setting up escrow accounts, etc.) and closing costs (Title fees, loan origination fees, appraisal, flood certificate, credit report, etc.) can easily be $5,500 or more.For Example: in and around New Orleans Louisiana, you’re typically going to have high Homeowner’s Insurance rates compared to the rest of the country, may have flood insurance, and will pay far more in title fees. In fact, for a $150,000 home I would estimate closing costs and prepaid items to be $6000 or more without flood insurance, and $7000 or more with flood insurance. However, If you were buying in southern Indiana, your homeowner’s insurance and title fees will be dramatically cheaper, and you most likely will not need flood insurance. I’d estimate the closing costs and prepaid items to be $2500-$3000.Another thing to consider is that you can request that the seller pay a portion of the sales price towards your closing costs and prepaid items. In many places, it is customary and happens frequently. Depending on the loan you’re getting, you can get anywhere from 3% to 6%. In your case that would be $4500 to $9000. Talk to your realtor about it. They will know what sellers will typically pay and should be able to help you make your offer as attractive as possible.Footnotes[1] 12 CFR Part 1026 - Truth in Lending (Regulation Z) | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau[1] 12 CFR Part 1026 - Truth in Lending (Regulation Z) | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau[1] 12 CFR Part 1026 - Truth in Lending (Regulation Z) | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau[1] 12 CFR Part 1026 - Truth in Lending (Regulation Z) | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Decentralized. Innovative. More entrepreneurial, more experimental, without so much bureaucracy. Lower prices. Higher quality. More customer orientation. Encouraging lots of new entrants. Removing artificial barriers. Removing licenses or regulations. Encouraging private certifications. More providers. Removing government cartels. More specialization, segmentation, and targeting. Encouraging lots of different types of services offered to different customer segments at different price/quality points. Encouraging varying private insurance for various segments.While we can’t know what millions of people peacefully cooperating might create within a free(d) market for health care, here are some brainstorms of a few things we can’t do today that might arise.Labor: Roll back all government professional licensing and regulation of doctors, nurses, psychologists, therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nursing assistants, lab technicians, etc.Encourage private certifications, (E.g. AMA, the ANA, the AOTA, etc.), but remove government-enforced market cartelization by encouraging competing certifications at a variety of quality/price points.Example: John, after running free clinics in Africa, receives a certification from Medics Across the World and opens a clinic in a poor section of a city. He is not an AMA-certified doctor, but he provides first aid, child birth, inoculations, basic medicine, disease triage, etc. quickly and at low price right in the worst neighborhood. He coordinates with an AMA certified doctor for tougher cases.Example: Ahmid quits his job as a taxi driver. His MD from Croatia was not good enough for AMA certification, but it was for his Foreign Doctors Certification. He hangs his certification proudly and opens up his own medical clinic in his apartment. He charges quite a bit less than AMA certified doctors, but his clients, mostly newly arrived immigrants, find him more friendly and approachable, even providing great recommendations of next steps to further integrate into the community.Example: Vivian apprentices as an occupational therapist assistant for six years. Her employer sponsers her for a test. She receives an OTAA certification as an occupational therapist, a certification that requires neither bachelors nor masters degree — just proven skill under supervision and tested knowledge.Locations: Roll back all government licensing and regulation of hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and health programs.Encourage independent certifications, from a myriad of groups (e.g., American Hospital Association, American Nursing Home Association), each having their own requirements and certification procedures, but allow anyone to open any type of clinic anywhere they want, as long as their bone fides are clearly described. Remove all one-size-fits-few government requirements in terms of training, privacy, equipment, beds, ratios, etc. Encourage insurance companies to differentiate by paying for alternative certification levels.Example: Sharon creates a Doula Center in a large, old house. She converts the 18 rooms into triples and quads for women who need care away from their homes. She trains numerous local women as apprentices and interns. Many of the births occur at the mothers’ homes, but higher risk cases occur at her Doula Center. Should a birth be too complicated, Joe is always on standby with his station wagon to drive to a near-by emergency center with which they have an agreement.Example: Gerald is an AMA-certified doctor, but works with a charity that provides once a week clinics in the basements of various churches. At one church, he works with six local women nurse-trainees. The local indigent line up. He sees them with the emphasis on speed and volume — oftentimes almost no privacy and in full view of one another. (For stripping, a curtain on rollers is available.) However, in this quick and dirty way, Gerald is able to consult with 300 patients on a Saturday. At a flat $20 per consultation, he earns less than he does in his regular practice, but he feels good bringing his AMA skills to the poorest.Example: John, American EMT certified, offers a mobile health truck that drives through the bowery on a set schedule. His clinic treats the bums in the street. When it rains, he has a canopy. He treats open sores and decaying teeth, and he urges other care if beyond his limited capabilities. His service costs each bum $5 in change, or an occasional bottle of rye, but he also has sponsors who, pleased with the volume of care he can take directly to the very neediest and least willing to schedule formal visits, are sponsoring two more trucks.Drugs: Roll back all government-required testing, regulations, and restrictions on drugs, instruments, medical devices — as well as patent monopolies.Encourage private certifications with varying degrees of assurances and leave it to insurance to guarantee efficacy and lack of side-effects. Allow new entrants to offer low priced alternatives.Example: Alice is dying from cancer. She has great pain and is undergoing chemo. She finds relief from pain, anxiety, and nausea by smoking marijuana. It is specifically REJECTED as effective treatment by the Jeff Session Drug Certification service, but Alice’s insurance approves it and pays for it — her insurance carrier believes that this cheap weed ameliorates many symptoms where more expensive treatments fail.Example: Sally suffers from a disease that has no medicines offered because it is so rare and formal testing is difficult and expensive. A lightly tested drug has been produced. Sally is at her wits’ end, and after talking to her doctor and her insurance carrier, she decides that the medicine is worth the risk.Example: Big Pharma Corp designs a new drug for hair loss. It keeps the chemical compound secret but the secret is eventually exposed and copy-cat pills quickly flood the market. However, Big Pharma continues to offer their pill at a 20% premium, differentiating its product by additives, by advertising, by distribution, and by its commitment to quality testing. They also offer guarantees.Example: Janice is quite concerned with having only “the best”. She pays for a premium service that authorizes only AMA, ANA, and OHA certified services.Insurance: Roll back all subsidies of, requirement of, regulations of, special treatment for insurance companies and insurance coverage.End any requirements that insurance companies must cover anything specific. Remove “pre-existing” requirements, gender requirements, racial requirements, well-visits, etc. Remove all price controls. End any special tax treatment (especially insurance offered through work expensed pre-corporate and pre-income tax). Allow new startup insurance companies to specialize in any type of specific insurance targeted to any segment.Example: Sidney and Connor find out that they are unable to have children. The $15,000 a cycle IVF treatments are not covered by their insurance, which offered them much more reasonable rates when they chose it. They must make the hard decision whether to try for a child, with the financial help of their friends and family. However, the other member who purchased this insurance are happy that their premiums are not raised in order to pay for Sidney and Connor.Example: Janet learns that her weight has crept over the 25% ideal weight limit of her current insurance carrier. She has 90 days to retest her weight, or she will lose this carrier. She explores daily runs versus going with Big Ladies Insurance.Example: Vegan Health Insurance offers a special insurance for anyone agreeing to live by their guidelines of smoke-free, daily exercise including yoga, no risky ventures, and vegan diet. Their small boutique coverage serves only .05% of the population, but they are one of the most profitable, and they are regularly rated the lowest cost carrier.Example: Muslim Mutual offers Islamic specific care for Muslim customers. They do not cover certain ailments — e.g., alcoholism — in fact, alcohol consumption voids their coverage. However, there are a number of ailments specific to their clientele that they focus on.Wealth Creation: Roll back other business licensing, regulations, and taxes that retard prosperity creation and poverty elimination.Allow citizens to accelerate wealth creation without constant government retardants. The greater the wealth, the more options for health care will be available and the greater opportunity for individuals to choose the level of healthcare they prefer.Example: Fred goes to an institutional school. The school does not like Fred’s energy for he will not quietly sit in his seat and fill out mind-numbing worksheets. They recommend drugging the child with strong psychoactives. Fortunately, there are many different type of schools, and in consultation with their insurance carrier, Fred’s parents transfer Fred to a school designed for boys.Charities: Roll back government coerced “safety nets”.Make it clear that charity begins with each citizen. Encourage private charities to crop up, offering different populations different types of services with different requirements and benefits. Encourage friendly societies and other voluntary mutual care associations. Encourage free people to work together to voluntarily care for one another.Example: John has regularly contributed to Greater Bay Charity but recently learned that they invested millions in high priced testing. John prefers offering more people basic care rather than fewer people expensive care. He changes his charity to John’s Mobile Clinics, whose vans he has seen providing what he considers to be sensible care for the most needy in the city.Example: Virginia has been using harmful drugs for years and develops a blood infection. She turns to the Summer Valley Charity for treatment. Summer Valley is willing to help Virginia but they have requirements: she must a) submit to a contraception injection preventing any child for five years; b) agree to drug rehab and continued testing; c) work in the clinic herself caring for other patients after two month of being clean. Sharon agrees, getting the treatment and the contraception, but she quickly reneges on both the drug rehab and workfare requirements. The next time that she needs medical attention, Summer Valley refuses her care. Another charity offers her fewer requirements but much lower care. Virginia has to make some hard tradeoffs for her life.Example: Angus barely scrapes by in his laborer job. He joins a laborer association, which gives scholarships to members’ children to go to low-cost medical training and come back to give the community ten years of heavily discounted services. Angus has high hopes that his children will be doctors.Tort Reform: Implement loser pays and counter-suits for nuisance cases.Tax Reform: Take government out of subsidizing, guiding, or approving health care or insurance by removing any preferential tax treatment.Example: Talia is changing her job. She owns her own health insurance, so that is not a factor in her next job. In fact, one prospective company has extensive health insurance, but Talia is quite concerned that she may get stuck at this company. She wants to be able to switch jobs absent health care. She grows suspicious of the company nd decides to join a different one that does not wish to entrap her with such golden handcuffs.Privatize Government Health Officials: Spin off all current government health bureaucracies into private companies offering consulting and certification services — in competition with other private companies.See related:If providers in a universal healthcare system refused to work at the fix price is forced labor justified?Are there free-market-based healthcare systems that work?Is healthcare a fundamental human right?Does the American Medical Association serve its members or the public?How does a libertarian society deal with the high cost of health education?What do libertarians think of NHS?Do libertarians want Cancer patients to take untested medicines?→ More essays on <Healthcare> by Dennis→ Return to the <Table of Contents> for Dennis’ Libertarian Essays

1. Depreciation: Rental Property Tax DeductionDepreciation is a rental property tax deduction for the hypothetical wear and tear on your building as if it were an expense. Even though you may not be encountering costs to cover actual maintenance expenses, accounting principles allow you to take advantage of the eventual costs through depreciation.Determining what the depreciation figure is — and keeping proper records over time — is vital, and you should turn to your certified public account (CPA) or tax professional for assistance. Generally, you can depreciate your rental property value minus the cost of land evenly over 27.5 years, known as straight-line depreciation.Depreciation Example for Rental PropertyWe’re going to illustrate a straight line depreciation example that pertains to a rental property.Let’s assume the following:The combined value of the land and the building is $300,000The land is valued at $150,000The depreciation time frame according to the IRS is 27.5 yearsThe property is classified as a residential property. Some portions of commercial property improvements can be depreciated over 15 years.To figure out the depreciation, you first subtract the land value from the combined value of the land and building. Then you divide the building value by 27.5 years to get the amount of yearly depreciation.$300,000 – $150,000 = $150,000$150,000/27.5 = $5,454.54 depreciation per year$5,454.54 is the annual amount you can deduct when filing your rental property taxes. You will do this each year to assess the current home value and the associated annual depreciation.2. Mortgage Interest Payments: Rental Property Tax DeductionsInterest on a rental property can take several forms and may be one of a landlord’s biggest tax benefits of rental property. Mortgage interest, points, loan origination fees, interest on credit lines and, in some cases, interest from credit cards used for property-related expenses, may all be deductible.When you make a loan payment on your rental property, there are two components to that payment. There is a portion going to the principal and a portion going to an interest expense. You can see this by looking at your monthly statement. Unfortunately, you can’t deduct the principal portion of your payment. However, you can deduct the interest portion.For example, let’s say you have a mortgage or other loan related to the property with a monthly payment of $1,000. Let’s assume $200 is applied to principal, meaning that $800 is interest. Only the $800 is deductible as an expense. Multiply this interest by 12, and you find your annual interest deduction of $9,600. You can keep track of mortgage interest paid, with property management software.Mortgage InterestSince the main loans on a rental property are likely mortgages, this is the first interest figure to consider. You can also deduct loan points as a form of prepaid interest. Prior to the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you could deduct interest on home equity lines of credit (HELOC), but now there are restrictions.Points & Loan Origination FeesWhen you obtained financing for your rental property, you probably paid loan origination fees and/or points. Both of those are deductible and can be treated as forms of interest. However, your down payment is not deductible.Interest on Unsecured Loans for the PropertyIf you’ve obtained financing in the form of an unsecured loan, specifically used for a given property, that interest may also be deductible. For example, you might have an unsecured loan for the replacement of a roof, that interest may be deductible.This is an area where you may want to engage the services of your accountant because deductibility for unsecured loans can be tricky ― particularly if the proceeds were used on more than one property or certain amounts used personally. Accurate accounting is vital.Interest on Credit Cards Used for the PropertyYou may have also used a credit card for the property and incurred some interest. An example is using a credit card to purchase a refrigerator for your rental property and paying for it over several months, resulting in interest charges. The interest stemming from that purchase would be deductible.Similar to the situation with unsecured loans, involve your tax professional or CPA if you are trying to deduct credit card interest because it can be tough to track properly.If you want more information on business credit cards, how they work, and who they’re right for, then check out our guide to the best small business credit cards of 2018.3. Fees & Tax Benefits of Rental PropertyReal estate investors receive rental property tax deductions — deducting related expenses is definitely one of them. Property taxes, licensing fees, and occupancy taxes are three of the most common forms of taxation for rental property, and they’re also deductible. You need to report expenses allocated for the rental property on a Schedule E.We will now discuss property taxes, licensing fees and other rental property taxes.Property TaxesVirtually every county or municipality in the country charges property taxes. In rural areas, the amount may be small, perhaps only a few hundred dollars. In some markets, property taxes can be quite high, sometimes up to six figures a year. Rental properties are typically taxed at a higher rate than primary residences.You can find your rental property tax rate at your county’s office of the assessor or recorder. Sometimes these offices have slightly different names, but you can Google your county and find property tax information on their site as well as a contact phone number. If you have a mortgage on the property, your lender will send you an escrow summary that shows property taxes paid as well.Licensing FeesMany states have licensing requirements for rental property. This refers to a license specifically for the property, not to be confused with a business license for your real estate business, which may be deductible. If you’ve had to obtain or renew a landlord or similar license for the property, that cost is deductible.Some municipalities require a vacation rental license for short-term rentals, which typically cost around $1,200 the first year and around $600 in subsequent years, depending on the property area and number of bedrooms. For additional information on short-term rentals, check out our guide to buying a vacation rental property.Occupancy Tax DeductionsSome states charge occupancy taxes on rental amounts, similar to sales tax. This is particularly the case in states where short-term rentals are common. Examples include Florida, which charges a “tourist tax” for rentals less than seven months and multiple areas throughout Arizona. If you are required to pay a tax on rental amounts, that expense is deductible. These taxes vary by state and, sometimes, vary by city, county, or even municipality.Download Your Free Rental Property Tax Deduction Worksheet4. Insurance: Rental Property Tax DeductionsAny form of insurance is considered an expense, hence tax deductible for the rental building. This includes basic hazard insurance and special perils insurance like flood or hurricane coverage as well as liability insurance.Typical types of rental property insurance include:Liability insuranceHazard and fire insuranceSewer backup insurance which can be added to your hazard policyFlood insurance which covers water coming from any source outside the home and is required by most mortgage companiesLoss of income insurance which can be added to your hazard policy and will cover you in the case of lost rental incomeInsurance specifically for a rental property is generally 15% to 20% more than a policy for an owner-occupied policy. The average annual premium on landlord insurance is about $822. This varies, depending on the size, cost, and location of the rental property. For more information, read our article on landlord insurance.Deducting Umbrella Liability Policies for Rental PropertiesIf you have other forms of insurance such as a landlord liability policy or umbrella liability policy that covers multiple properties, you will want to seek the counsel of your tax professional or CPA to determine how it should be deducted. One option is to prorate the cost among each property; another possibility may be to deduct it from the overall business entity.5. Utilities: Rental Property Tax DeductionsIf you have to pay for any utilities — gas, electric, or water — they are a deductible expense. If you pay for private trash removal and/or recycling service, those may be lumped in with utilities. In addition, if you pay for communication services like internet or cable/satellite TV for your rentals, those costs are also deductible as a utility expense.Deductions for various common utilities can be claimed on:Heating billsElectricityAir conditioningWaterSewerTrash & recyclingInternet, television & phone services6. Maintenance & Repair: Rental Property Tax DeductionsCosts to maintain, care for, and improve the property are deductible. However, there is a difference between how things like cleaning, maintenance, and repair are deducted vs how improvements are handled.Cleaning, Maintenance & RepairThese items are considered normal, ongoing items in the operating of the property. They are deductible as normal operating expenses. An example of maintenance might be replacing a few shingles lost to a storm. Normal wear and tear on a property can include replacing worn carpet or repainting rooms with faded paint from sunlight exposure.ImprovementsImprovements are considered long-term benefits to the property and are depreciated over several years. Some items may be depreciated over five years, others as long as 27.5 years. Using the roof example from above, if it’s the entire roof being replaced, that’s considered a capital improvement and must be depreciated over 27.5 years.Since the roof has been depreciated, you can’t expense the entire cost in one year. Instead, you would spread the cost out over 27.5 years. So, if the roof was $15,000, you should deduct the same amount each year, according to the IRS, in the straight line depreciation method. This means you would deduct $545.45 each year for 27.5 years.With improvements, it’s vital to involve your CPA or tax professional. It’s important to classify and compute things correctly, and the recordkeeping responsibility is rigorous.7. Advertising & Marketing: Tax Benefits of Rental PropertyThere are two main sources of marketing deductions for a rental property. They include advertising to find tenants to rent the property and lease-up commissions to pay real estate professionals or property managers to rent out the property. Both of which can be tax deductible. For more information on marketing, read our article about how to rent a house.AdvertisingAny amount you expend to advertise your building, its availability for tenants, or for anything else related to the property like trying to find an on-site manager or contractor are all deductible as normal operating expenses. This includes fees or subscriptions for websites like Zillow where you might list your property for rent.Tenant Placement & Lease-up CommissionsAn often overlooked marketing expense is the commission paid to a real estate agent or property management firm to either secure a new tenant or renew their lease. Because this is often one month’s rent or more, it’s a significant expense well worth recording.8. Homeowner Association Fees: Rental Property Tax DeductionIf your rental property is located in a community that charges any kind of homeowner association (HOA) fees, condo fees, planned unit development (PUD) fees, and so on, these are deductible expenses. The IRS considers then necessary to maintain the property. HOA fees vary depending on the location, amenities included and size of the unit but the average HOA fees for a single-family home are $200 to $300 per month.In addition, you may be able to deduct items required by your HOA. For example, some HOAs require expensive for rent signs that meet certain specifications. These sign expenses would generally be deductible.9. Auto & Travel: Rental Property Tax DeductionsTravel-related tax benefits of rental property are generally categorized in two ways: automobile-related travel expenses and other travel-related expenses. You can deduct the necessary expenses of traveling as long as the trip’s primary purpose pertains to your rental property.Auto ExpensesBusiness use of your car for your rental properties is deductible. If you have to drive to a property to show it, tackle repairs, or otherwise visit the property for a legitimate operational purpose, the mileage is deductible.Auto expenses can be deducted using the standard mileage method or the “actual” method. For 2019, the IRS set the rate at 58 cents per mile driven for business. The “actual” method uses the percentage of all actual vehicle expenses used for business. Both require you to keep the necessary records. To learn more details about mileage deduction, read our guide on standard mileage deduction.There are also apps for smartphones that make keeping the records very easy and convenient. You don’t have to write it down or wait until you’re in front of your computer to record your mileage. Instead, you can download the app on your smartphone and keep track of your mileage on the go. To learn more about these convenient smartphone apps check out our guide on the best mileage tracking apps.Additionally, you may have investment business mileage not attributable to individual properties but, to the business overall, that may also be deductible. Any business-related mileage like going to the office supply store or post office is deductible if documented properly.Rental Property Tax Deductions for Other Travel ExpensesAside from using your car, other travel expenses related to your rental property may be partially or totally deductible. For example, if you fly to a property in another state to clean out the building between tenants, that’s legitimately business-related. The airfare would be deductible as would hotel stays meals, rental cars, parking, and tolls.However, only the business portion of the trip is deductible; you have to prorate that portion, which is clearly business vs that which isn’t. In the above example, if you stayed a week, but only dealt with the property for two days, you can’t deduct all seven days’ worth of meals or hotel costs.To learn more about properly deducting travel related expenses check out our guide on deducting travel and entertainment expenses.10. Supplies: Rental Property Tax DeductionsThe supplies category is somewhat a miscellaneous one that can include anything from hardware to office supplies. Many supplies will be directly used on a given property and deductible to the property itself. An example might be driveway sealant if the can was used on just the one property.Other supplies might be applicable to several or all of your properties and deductible to the business as a whole. An example might be computer printer paper, which can’t be allocated to a single property but is used for anything related to the business.Typical supplies related to your rental property include:Printer ink, which can be expensive at an average of $13 per ouncePrinter paper, folders, binders, and receipt books to stay organizedMaintenance supplies like paint, spackle, primer, and brushesCleaning supplies like buckets, mops, vacuums, and cleaning solutionsBuilding supplies like sheetrock, nuts, bolts, and plywoodHardware including locks and keys, which can add up if you change them after each tenancy; locksmiths often charge upward of $125 to change locks11. Property Management: Tax Deduction for Rental PropertyProperty management can be performed in several ways. You may be handling it yourself, engaging a property management firm, or hiring a property manager. Each is handled differently from a tax standpoint. Property management fees generally range from 7% to 20% of the gross monthly rental income depending on the type of property.Tax Benefits of Rental Property You Manage YourselfWhether you can deduct any of your personal management depends on how you’ve structured your business. If your properties are owned by you personally like a sole proprietorship, it’s tricky to deduct the cost of your own management. The better you substantiate your active management, the more likely you’ll be able to demonstrate your active engagement.If you have an entity like an LLC or corporation, there may be the possibility of the company employing you as a property manager, which means your salary will be a deductible expense. In that case, you can deduct property management software for things like marketing your property and tenant screening.Tax Deductions If You Engage a Property Management FirmFees that you pay to a property management firm for their services are deductible. Be aware, however, that things like commissions for tenant placement should be noted as marketing and not management.Tax Deductions If You Hire a Property ManagerReal estate investors with large multi-unit properties or apartment buildings will often hire on-site property managers. Salaries and any benefits paid to these managers are fully deductible rental property expenses.12. Legal & Professional Fees: Rental Property Tax DeductionsProfessional services like accounting and legal work are deductible expenses. Generally, these will be applied overall to your real estate investment business. However, if there is work clearly applicable to certain properties, then the expenses are deductible for the properties themselves. These professionals are often able to identify additional tax benefits of rental property for investors.Some examples of professional and legal fees may include:Legal work to prepare LLC entityLegal review or preparation of lease documentsBookkeeping servicesTax filing preparationSources: Top 12 Rental Property Tax Deductions & Benefits 2019 [+ Free Worksheet]