Expensing repairs for 7th rental

[Dan Vleck]

According to NOLO you can expense the repairs for houses after you have an established business.  Whenever I see the topic discussed, however, people say you need to add the repair costs to the cost basis of the house.  I do my own finances, so I don't have an accountant to ask.  Anyone been audited that had expensed repairs on a new purchase with an established business?  How did it come out?

Thanks

[Dave Toelkes]

If you browse through the treads on this topic in this discussion forum, you will see over and over again that all costs to make a property ready and available for rent are capitalized.  

Before your property is placed "in service" as a rental, costs to make the property ready and available for rental use are added to the tax basis (capitalized) and recovered through depreciation.  Once the property is "in service" then repairs can be expensed.

Does not matter how many rentals you already own, despite what you read in NOLO.