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The decision to become a property owner is not one to be taken lightly. Although assets such as stocks and bonds are sometimes referred to as passive, the active investment is known to be a rental property. You have to be able to get up at 3 a.m. if you rent out a suite in your building. To patch a leaky pipe for the homeowner, or to pay someone else to do it. If you rent your principal residence while living somewhere else temporarily, you will need to consider hiring a manager of the property. Here are some tax tips to help make your travel a lot easier as a landlord.

You can claim Tax Deductions

One of the advantages of being a landlord is being able to claim tax deductions against your rental property. The laundry list of expenditures you can report is from the Revenue Department. The more costs you report, the more taxes you'll be able to reduce. Although you can absolutely deduct certain expenses like ads, other expenses are deducted based on the percentage of the rented out of your house.

Some landlords cannot deduct for sale or rent by owner mortgage interest paid on their principal residence, unlike U.S. citizens. When you rent out part of your home, the only exception is. And you can claim a percentage of the interest as a tax deduction if you have a mortgage. For example, you can claim a tax deduction for 40 percent of your mortgage interest you paid in the year if you rent out 40 percent of your house.

Designate your Primary Residence

Before you decide to rent your home, it is important to consider the different tax implications depending on whether you rent out your main residence or investment property on your own.

If you're renting your house for part of the year, you can still call it your main residence as long as you've been living there for a while throughout the year.
Even though you can only designate one property per tax year as your principal residence, you don't have to call the same home every year. If you've rented your house for a part of the year, when you move back in you can name it as your main residence. Just keep in mind that when you sell your home, you will have to pay capital gains for the period when it wasn't your principal residence.

Claiming an allowance on capital costs

You have the ability to amortize the house at 4 percent a year by renting your house.
This is a chance for you to cut your rental income and pay less tax. The downside is that if your house has appreciated the value when it is sold, the difference between the selling price and the original purchase price will be a recovery of the full amount of amortization already claimed plus capital gains. This could result in a large owing of taxes.

When you rent your principal home, you have the option to demand an allowance for capital costs. By not claiming CCA on your house, you won't earn tax deductions for capital (long-lasting) expenses when you're living there or renting your house temporarily, so when you want to sell, you won't get a big tax bill from a recapture.

Stay organized and keep records

It is important that you keep good records for your for sale or rent by owner listing when you're a landlord. You'll not only want to keep records of the rent you receive, but you'll also want to claim any expenses you incur on your rental property. According to the CRA, landlords and self-employed persons are more likely to be audited than salaried employees. It's important to have all of your spending receipts, otherwise, your tax deductions could be disallowed and you might face expensive penalties and interest.

Precautions to take before you rent a house or rent an apartment to people you don't know. 

Have you ever considered renting your own home? It can be a rewarding experience for you and the people to whom you rent it, in addition to generating extra revenue. Here's what you need to know before you put your property on the leasing market.

Get insurance on lodging properties

Next, get cover on rental assets. This insurance is similar to a typical homeowner policy but may differ in some of the coverage. That's why it's important to contact your insurance company to check whether your property is eligible and see what coverage is available to you depending on your situation.

Find the right renters

Then, find out what type of tenants you 're looking for. You can either search for tenants on your own using popular real estate websites like for sale or rent by owner

, or

with a real estate agent 's assistance. Pricing, advertisement, showing, screening, and paperwork are among the resources they have. The amount typically adds up to rent of about 1 month.

If you have little time to spend on tenant search, it may be a good alternative. It takes a lot of time and effort to find good tenants and that is where a real estate agent can help streamline the process and avoid pitfalls. If you want to use a professional's services or not, do remember to do a background check and ask for references so that you don't get stuck with bad tenants.

Also, you should consult with a lawyer or notary to help you draught a lease agreement with which you feel comfortable. Some details you don't want to forget are: how many people are allowed to occupy the rent, what insurance is required on their part, who is responsible for paying for utilities, and the consequences of not fulfilling obligations. The more detailed and clear it is, the less likely it is that you will run into problems with your tenants.

Have your house checked

Another important thing to do is to get your home checked before the tenants move in. Because structural problems and cosmetic problems occur over time in all buildings,. You should take a thorough check of your home. In some cases, hiring an inspector to assess your house and flag 's state of urgent repairs could be a good way to avoid any problems. Moreover, a major cleaning and a fresh paint coat will also work wonders for your relationship with your new tenants!

Renting your home is about getting to know new people and using it to make a profit. Unlike selling it is a long-term investment, but from both a personal and a financial point of view it can be a fantastic experience!