Tax Deductions for House Hacking a Single Family Home By The Room

[Alex Romero]

Hi all, I have read several articles and watched a couple of videos regarding house hacking and tax deductions with an eye focused on how to properly determine what percentage should be used for tax deductions, and it seems a little ambiguous. Some people mention calculating the percentage based off of rented bedrooms vs personal-use bedrooms (1 personal use vs 2 rented and doesn't take into account square footage size differences), others talk about using the personal use square footage divided by the total home square footage (includes common areas) and others mention that the shared spaces do not count towards a Schedule E.

All in all, I just want to make sure I'm calculating that percentage fairly (both to me and the government). 

So here's the scenario: my new build in Austin, TX was completed at the end of August 2020 and then I moved in, leaving Los Angeles behind (I feel a little cliche about that). My home is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bathroom with 2,327 square footage. And here is how the total square footage is broken out: 

- Gross Rentals Area: 352 sq. ft. (Rented Bedroom #1: 180 sq. ft., Rented Bedroom #2: 121 sq. ft., Full Bathroom: 51 sq. ft.)

- Gross Common Areas (Kitchen, Dining Room, Family Room, Game Area, Wash Room, etc.): 1,290 sq. ft.

- Gross Personal Use Area (Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Master Closet): 685 sq. ft.

Based on the numbers above, what percentage for deductions should I be using on items bought for the common areas that everyone uses (sofa, refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc.)?