rental expenses

[be5455ge]

My husband owns a mobile home and land that was his grandmother's. Our son lived in it for a few years and his dog tore up the walls, carpets, etc. It was vacant for several years and someone he knew wanted to rent it. So he borrowed the money to make repairs, about 15,000.00. He did the work himself and is there a way for him to claim these expenses on his return.

[AnnetteB6]

Yes, there is a way to claim the repairs that were made. 

The cost of the materials that were purchased for the repairs can be claimed, but when the work is not done by someone else, you cannot claim the cost of labor.  

If the property was rented in 2024, then the rental income and expenses will be claimed on your tax return.  If the repairs were done before the property was available for rent, then the cost of the materials can be added to the depreciation cost basis of the property.  

TurboTax will ask you questions about the property itself so that it can be depreciated as part of your Schedule E, Rental Income and Expenses.  You should see a question about items that would increase the basis.  This is where you would enter the cost of the materials used for the repairs.