"Depreciation" is an accounting term for writing off the wear and tear on an asset that has a useful life of more than one year and costs over $100. Generally, rental real estate improvements must be depreciated over a period of 39 years. However, there are exceptions for residential rental real estate, which is depreciated over 27.5 years and most personal property such as furniture, equipment, etc., which is depreciable over 5 or 7 years. There are additional special rules applying to land rentals, leasehold improvements and restaurants. Please call this office for special situations.
