I paid my father-in-law to do maj repairs and improvements to my rental property in 2016 however the work won't begin until January 2017. Can I still claim the lump sum depreciation for 2016 since that is the year the purchase was made? Simarllaly what if work and payments goes across the tax year? Is this a gray area of tax code law in which I can claim either years as long as I only claim one year?
