Can You Write Off Travel as a Real Estate Investor? Here’s What the IRS Allows

Whether you’re scouting out-of-state properties, visiting your short-term rentals, or flying in for due diligence before closing a deal, travel can be a legitimate business expense for real estate investors. But the IRS has strict rules—and mixing personal and business travel can get tricky fast.

Let’s explore how to make your travel deductible, what expenses qualify, and how to stay compliant.

What Counts as “Business Travel” for Real Estate?

The IRS allows you to deduct travel expenses when your trip is “ordinary and necessary” for your real estate business and requires you to be away from your tax home overnight.

Examples that often qualify:

• Flying to another city to evaluate potential rental properties

• Driving several hours to meet contractors or check on a rehab project

• Staying overnight in a market where you’re acquiring or managing properties

• Attending out-of-state real estate investor meetups, masterminds, or tax strategy events

The primary purpose of the trip must be business, not personal leisure.

What Travel Expenses Can Real Estate Investors Deduct?

If the trip qualifies, you can typically write off:

• Airfare or mileage to your investment destination

• Hotel or Airbnb stays (for business days only)

• Transportation at the destination (Uber, rental car, parking, tolls)

• 50% of business meals with vendors, partners, or while traveling

• Property inspection or appraisal fees tied to the trip

• Conference or seminar registration costs related to real estate

All expenses must be well-documented and directly tied to your business purpose.

Real Estate Investor Example

Marcus is a landlord based in Texas looking to expand into the Ohio market. He flies to Cleveland for 3 days to:

• Tour neighborhoods and available properties

• Meet with a property manager and local lender

• Evaluate a fourplex he's considering buying

He documents his itinerary, saves receipts, and logs miles driven on-site. His flights, 2 nights in a hotel, meals, rental car, and due diligence costs are all deductible under IRS rules.

What If You Mix Business with Personal Travel?

Let’s say Marcus brings his spouse and extends the trip by 2 days for sightseeing:

• His roundtrip airfare is still deductible (if the primary purpose of the trip is business)

• Hotel costs for business nights are deductible, but not the extra nights

• His spouse’s airfare and meals are not deductible, unless she’s a legitimate employee involved in the business trip

Always document the business portion and separate out any personal add-ons.

Advanced Tip: STR Hosts & Maintenance Trips

If you own a short-term rental and travel to perform repairs, upgrades, or host inspections:

• Those travel costs can be deducted if you’re materially participating in the rental business

• Keep a detailed log of your activities, costs, and time spent on the property

• STR hosts may also deduct mileage or airfare for trips involving vendor meetings or restocking

Be careful: IRS scrutiny increases for “vacation-like” properties or blended use.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in real estate, travel is often a legitimate part of doing business—but to deduct those expenses, you need the right planning, records, and business purpose.

Want to turn your next scouting trip into a write-off?

Book a free strategy call and we’ll walk through how to set up a bulletproof travel strategy and keep more of your real estate income.