Instructions

1

Physically move into the rental property. Visit your bank and update your accounts to show the rental as your primary home. Contact the utility companies and have the utility bills transferred into your name if it was previously under the name of your tennant. Notify your employer, creditors and service providers of your change of address.
2

Contact your insurance agent or the insurance company that issued your homeowners insurance policy. Explain to the representative or agent, that your rental property has become your primary home. Ask the representative to issue a new insurance policy including contents insurance for the house that has become your primary home. If you sold your previous home, cancel the policy you have on it. If you have turned your primary residence into a rental home, ask the insurance agent to drop the contents insurance coverage attached to it.
3

Go to the county tax appraiser’s office or the local courthouse. Ask for a Homestead exemption form. Complete the form to show that your rental property has now become your primary home. If the county requires supporting documentation, provide the clerk with a copy of your updated homeowner’s insurance policy. If your state does not have Homestead exemption laws, complete tax paperwork with the county to show that you now live in the former rental property.
4

List the home as your primary residence when you file your federal and state income taxes at the end of the tax year. Consult a certified tax professional if you intend to claim a tax break for mortgage interest payments.