Is it okay for me to continue to use Schedule E with employees and just not take the meal expense benefit?
You have a "mixed bag" here, and based on the information I don't know, it's hard to make a call on this. Just exactly what do you have here? 15-20 Properties? Maybe more? Do you own them all? Or are you just managing them for other owners? Is the rental business your primary source of income for the year? Are they long term rentals of like, one year or more? Or short term rentals where you have occupants for periods of time less than 30 days most of the time?
I'm trying to understand why a landlord needs full time (or even part time) employees on a regular basis. Either you have a lot of properties, a high occupancy turnover rate, or dilapidated properties that require constant, never-ending maintenance to keep things up to snuff. I doubt the last one, as you wouldn't be employing minors for that.
