I just started renting a condo in late 2019
If the rental contract is more than 15 days, you must report the income "as" rental income and show the property 'as" rental property on your 2019 return. It doesn't matter if the contract did not start until Jan 1st of 2020 either. Rental income is reported in the tax year it is received, regardless of what tax year it may be "for".
For example, you will show your date of conversion to rental property as whatever day in 2019 the property was move-in ready and "available for rent" weather there was actually a renter physically in the property or not. Your day count for days rented starts from the first day the property was "available for rent". Again, it just does not matter if a renter was actually in the property or not.
I'm confident that when the property was shownin 2019 to what was then a prospective tenant, it was move in ready. So you can't get out of this legally.
Now you *might* be able to report it as other income. But with the amount being reported in box 1, combined with the fact you will be reporting rental income on your 2020 tax return, there's a good bet you'll get questioned on it in 2021 after you file your 2020 return reporting rental income/expenses. If questioned, you could expect to lose.
