topic Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale in Investors & landlords

Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:32:50 GMT

Hi All,

I owned a rental property which was purchased as investment property and always has been used as investment property.

My tenant basically trashed the placed and behind on rent. The tenant moved out in July 2023. Since then, I have been hiring people to clean up and perform improvement to the property to prepare it for sale, and it was sold in February 2024.

I have read the publication 529 and it states the following: Publication 527 (2023), Residential Rental Property | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

If you hold property for rental purposes, you may be able to deduct your ordinary and necessary expenses (including depreciation) for managing, conserving, or maintaining the property while the property is vacant. However, you can’t deduct any loss of rental income for the period the property is vacant.

Vacant while listed for sale.

If you sell property you held for rental purposes, you can deduct the ordinary and necessary expenses for managing, conserving, or maintaining the property until it is sold. If the property isn’t held out and available for rent while listed for sale, the expenses aren’t deductible rental expenses.

However, I am still a little confused about how to correctly treat the following expenses after the tenant moved out and the eventual sale of the property.

1. Removed all the belongings (furniture, garbage, etc) and clean the house to habitable condition - I am not sure if this is rental expense, or could I put it as selling cost

2. Painted all the walls - I am not sure if this is an expense or an improvement to be added to cost basis

3. Refinished hardwood floors - I am not sure if this is an expense or an improvement to be added to cost basis

4. Replaced outdated countertops, kitchen floor tiles (this is clearly improvement and should be added to the cost basis)

5. Property Tax and Insurance during vacancy - not sure how to divide this.

Some of the works were done in 2023 and some were done is 2024, do you know what should I enter in 2023 returns.

Thank you!

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 13:07:17 GMT

Simply put, if the expenses, such as utilities, repairs, insurance, were incurred and paid for while the property was not available for rent, then they are not deductible as typical rental expenses.

You can deduct mortgage interest and property taxes as well as add the cost of improvements to your basis, however.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 13:31:41 GMT

@Anonymous_ Thank you for your reply.

Would I be able put the repair expense as part of the selling expense in my 2024 return (when the property was sold)?

I am asking because the clean-up and repairs are a result of tenant trashing the property, and I feel like the expense should go somewhere because it is business-related instead of plain out not deductible.

However I understand that since it is not considered rental since the tenant moved out, those expense can’t be on Schedule E.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:06:07 GMT

@daweigedavid wrote:
....I understand that since it is not considered rental since the tenant moved out, those expense can’t be on Schedule E.

Yes, but you could consider all of the expenses you paid to be one, large, remodeling (rehab) project and add the total cost to your basis.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:20:06 GMT

Thank you. Just making sure I am understanding it right, since significant work was done between the last day of tenant move out and the final sale, I could consider cleaning and painting as part of the large rehab project and add it to the cost basis, even though painting and cleaning are typically considered as expense instead of improvement?

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:28:17 GMT

Yes, if you consider the various repairs and maintenance to be part of one large remodeling project.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:30:30 GMT

Thank you so much. One more last question, what about utilities while the rental property is vacant and up for sale? Of course this cannot be in Schedule E either.

Could utility be part of sales expense or is it just outright not deductible at all?

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:33:52 GMT

Unfortunately, those expenses would not be deductible unless the property had been made available for rent.

However, you do need power for the purposes of the remodeling project so the expenses could be added to the basis during the period the work was in progress.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:37:00 GMT

Very interesting. For a remodeling project, electricity, water, and gas (so that stuff won't freeze during winter) are definitely needed as part of the improvement project.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:39:21 GMT

@daweigedavid wrote:

...For a remodeling project, electricity, water, and gas (so that stuff won't freeze during winter) are definitely needed as part of the improvement project.

Yes, they are.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Carl — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:53:40 GMT

Note the first seven words: "If you hold property for rental purposes...."
After the last tenant moved out, you were not holding the property for rental purposes. Any expenses incurred after the renter moved out are not deductible on SCH E. Period.
However, you can total up items 1 and 2 and claim them as sales expenses. Items 3 & 4 add to your cost basis. Item 5 is a carrying cost, and you will have to pro-rate that amount for the period of time between the date the last renter moved out, and the closing date of the sale.
Property taxes for the period of time it was a rental up until the time the last renter moved out, are claimed on SCH E.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 01:18:14 GMT

@Carl wrote:
After the last tenant moved out, you were not holding the property for rental purposes. Any expenses incurred after the renter moved out are not deductible on SCH E. Period.

We were discussing the costs as being added to the basis of the property, not deducting them on Schedule E.

Further, whether the property was being "held for rental purposes" is a matter of semantics, to a large extent. It is entirely possible to hold a property for rental purposes even though repairs and improvements are being made.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

daweigedavid — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 03:01:41 GMT

Hi folks,

I actually purchased the TurboTax Live and talked to 2 CPAs from TT. They said as long as the expense is prior to property being listed on the market, the expense can be put into Schedule E as those expenses are necessary to maintain the property.

But once the property is listed on market, the expense should be capture as sales expense.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

Anonymous_ — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 06:25:28 GMT

As long as you make the property "available for rent", you can deduct expenses, even while listed for sale.

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

karenkailua — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:00:11 GMT

@Carl I understand your comment about items 3&4 being sales costs, and adding them to the cost basis. But, how do you actually do that in Turbotax (premier, download)? I've gone through the interview after checking that I sold my rental property, and TT seems to be doing the calculation for capital gains without me being able to input purchase price, or input things to arrive at an adjusted cost basis. Can you help?

Re: Vacant Rental Property Expense while preparing for Sale

RobertB4444 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:26:10 GMT

There's a box for 'Expenses of Sale'. Add them to the sales cost.

@karenkailua