rental real estate question

[NMJenn]

I have a condo that I rent out.  I have managed my own rental most of the time - but I got a manager last July.  Even though I had a manager for less than half of the year, I assume that I can't take a loss on it for 2019, right?

[TomYoung]

" I assume I can't take a loss on it for 2019, right?"

Given what you've said here I assume you have only one rental property, the property has annual  operating losses, and your income is high enough that you are not allowed to use that loss in your income tax returns.  If those assumptions are correct then simply having a third-party operating manager for part of the year - or even the entire year - does not affect that.

[Carl]

What exactly do you mean by "can't take a loss" ???

Long-term residential rental property will practically "always" operate at a loss on paper at tax time every single year.  Especially if you have a mortgage on it. So being told that you can't take a loss could be mis-leading if you don't understand the context, and you assume they understand the context of your question. I myself am not clear on the context of your question. I also don't see how it's possible for anyone reading your post to be clear on your context either, without specifically asking you, as I am.

[tagteam]

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@NMJenn wrote:

Even though I had a manager for less than half of the year, I assume that I can't take a loss on it for 2019, right?

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If you are referring to "active participation" and the special $25,000 allowance, you should note that employing a property manager, alone, is not disqualifying.

See https://www.irs.gov/publications/p925#en_US_2019_publink1000256812