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We demolished our rental property on the orders of city. How do I file my demolishing costs? Can the remaining depreciation on the structure get deducted?

This is for 2017. The property is not rented during the year. 

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4 Replies
Carl
Level 15

We demolished our rental property on the orders of city. How do I file my demolishing costs? Can the remaining depreciation on the structure get deducted?

Your demolition coat and the remaining depreciation gets added to the cost of the land.

Assuming you did not sell the property in 2020, work through the rental property and at the beginning (2 or three screens in) indicate that the property was converted to personal use. Then continue working through it, entering any rental income/expenses if applicable.

In the assets/depreciation section work through the asset and on the first screen write down the cost, cost of land, and prior depreciation already taken, then continue.

When asked "Did you stop using this asset in 2020?" click YES.

Your date of sale or disposition will be the date you converted the property to personal use.

For "Special Handling Required?" click YES.

Write down the current year's depreciation and that gets added to the prior years depreciation you wrote down earlier. The total amount of depreciation taken, along with your demolition costs will be added to the cost of the land.

Keep all the information you wrote down. You will not deal with this any further until the tax year you sell the land.

 

 

We demolished our rental property on the orders of city. How do I file my demolishing costs? Can the remaining depreciation on the structure get deducted?

Thank you for the response. Did exactly the same way as you mentioned. Another Q - Can I add all the property taxes since then to the cost basis of the land?

Carl
Level 15

We demolished our rental property on the orders of city. How do I file my demolishing costs? Can the remaining depreciation on the structure get deducted?

Can I add all the property taxes since then to the cost basis of the land?

Assuming we're still talking about 2017 taxes, and assuming you sold the property in 2017, yes you can. However, you must subtract from that amount, the amount the buyer reimbursed you for, as the buyer would get credit for paying the property taxes prorated, based on the date of the sale.

Otherwise, if you did not sell the land in 2017 and still owned it through 2020, the property taxes are carrying costs that won't come into play until the tax year you do sell it.

@M-MTax is that right? Since the property has been raw land since the demolition in 2017, I would assume any sale would be reported in the investments section of the program.

 

M-MTax
Level 10

We demolished our rental property on the orders of city. How do I file my demolishing costs? Can the remaining depreciation on the structure get deducted?

I'd say that's right BUT I don't think you can add anything to basis UNLESS you made that election for each and every tax year.

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