Florida DSCR Loans & Rates 2026

Florida DSCR loan terms at a glance

Term	Save Financial (20+ DSCR lenders)
Minimum DSCR	1.0+ for the best pricing; down to 0.75 on a separate program at a higher rate; no-ratio option where rent is not used
Max loan-to-value	Up to 80% on purchases (20% down); about 75% on the no-ratio program; cash-out typically 70–75%
Minimum credit score	660; 700+ improves pricing; 740+ gets the best rates
Loan amount	$150,000 to $3,000,000
Loan terms	30-year fixed, interest-only and ARM options
Prepayment	Usually 1 year; no-prepay and longer-prepay options trade against rate and fees
Residency	Not required — out-of-state investors welcome
LLC vesting	Yes — LLC, corporation or personal name, with a personal guarantee
Short-term rentals	Yes, where local rules allow them
Income documents	None — no tax returns, W-2s, pay stubs or debt-to-income ratio
Closing time	Often about 18 days once documents are complete; appraisal timing varies

Florida housing market at a glance

Florida home prices rose 37.5% over the five years to mid-2026, the 23rd-largest gain among the 50 states and faster than the U.S. average of 33.4%, according to FHFA’s purchase-only index. About 32.4% of Florida households rent their home, versus 34.8% nationally.

Measure	Florida	United States
Households that rent their home	32.4%	34.8%
Median gross rent (per month)	$1,669	$1,413
Median value of owner-occupied homes	$359,000	$332,700
Home-price change, last 5 years (to Q2 2026)	+37.5%	+33.4%
Home-price change, last 12 months (to Q2 2026)	+1.0%	+2.1%
Population, July 1, 2025	23.5 million	341.8 million
Population change since April 2020	+8.9%	+3.1%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (renter share, rent and home value are 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates; population is the Vintage 2025 estimate) and the FHFA House Price Index (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted, released August 2026).

Worth knowing about Florida

Florida welcomed 143.3 million visitors in 2025, a state record, according to preliminary VISIT FLORIDA estimates. (Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Another Record-Breaking Year for Florida Tourism: Florida Welcomes 143.3 Million Visitors in 2025)
Port St. Lucie added 9,131 residents between July 2024 and July 2025, the ninth-largest numeric gain of any U.S. city, per the Census Bureau. (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 City and Town Population Estimates (CB26-80))

What rent does a Florida rental need for a 1.0 DSCR?

At an illustrative 7.25% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, Florida’s average property tax rate and our insurance assumption below, a rental priced like the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater median needs monthly rent of about 0.69% of its price to reach a 1.0 DSCR. Here is what the payment looks like at median prices in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach and Cape Coral-Fort Myers.

Market	Median price	Monthly PITIA at 20% down (= rent needed for 1.0)	Rent needed as % of price
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando)	$400,000 (Florida REALTORS, Sep 2026)	$2,750	0.69%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake)	$441,860 (Florida REALTORS, Sep 2026)	$3,010	0.68%
Jacksonville (Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker)	$404,495 (Florida REALTORS, Sep 2026)	$2,780	0.69%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach)	$659,000 (Florida REALTORS, Sep 2026)	$4,340	0.66%
Cape Coral-Fort Myers (Lee County)	$375,500 (Florida REALTORS, Sep 2026)	$2,600	0.69%

Assumptions: 7.25% 30-year fixed (an example, not a quote); property tax at 0.78% of value, Florida’s average effective rate on owner-occupied homes (rentals don’t get homestead breaks, so an investor’s effective rate is usually higher); insurance at $3,736 a year (the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s average admitted-market premium; coastal and older homes often pay far more); no HOA. Actual county tax rates, premiums and your rate will differ.

How much down do you need to reach 1.0?

If you know a property’s rent-to-price ratio (monthly rent ÷ price), this shows the down payment that gets it to a 1.0 DSCR for a home priced like the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater median, under the same assumptions.

Monthly rent as % of price	Down payment, 30-year fixed	Down payment, interest-only
0.45%	About 55%	About 49%
0.50%	About 48%	About 41%
0.55%	About 40%	About 33%
0.60%	About 33%	About 24%
0.65%	About 26%	20% (the minimum)
0.70%	20% (the minimum)	20% (the minimum)

If the numbers fall short, there are three other routes: a program that accepts a DSCR down to 0.75 at a higher rate, interest-only payments, or a no-ratio DSCR loan with about 25% down.

Example: a median-priced Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rental at three structures

The property: a $400,000 rental, the median price in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando).

Costs: property tax about $260 a month and insurance about $311 a month under the assumptions above. Rate is an illustrative 7.25%, an example and not a quote.

Structure	Loan	Monthly PITIA	Rent needed for 1.0
20% down, 30-year fixed	$320,000	$2,750	About $2,750
25% down, 30-year fixed	$300,000	$2,620	About $2,620
25% down, interest-only	$300,000	$2,380	About $2,380

The takeaway: moving from 20% down to 25% down with interest-only lowers the rent this property needs to qualify by about $370 a month. We price each structure side by side so you can compare the extra cash against the rate.

Florida property tax and insurance: what changes the DSCR

Property tax

Florida’s average effective property tax rate is about 0.78% of home value for owner-occupied homes, per the Tax Foundation. A rental gets no homestead exemption or Save Our Homes cap; instead its assessed value can rise at most 10% a year, but that cap does not apply to school taxes. The cap resets on a sale, a transfer of more than 50% of the owning entity, or a major improvement, so the buyer’s first January 1 assessment equals full market value, which can raise taxes well above what the seller paid. Lenders use the tax bill you will actually pay as an investor, so get the county’s estimate for a non-owner-occupied property before you make an offer.

Insurance

Florida home insurance remains among the most expensive in the U.S.: Insurance.com/Quadrant data (Sept 2026) put the average Florida premium at about $8,471 a year versus a $2,872 national average, and the state OIR lists an average of $3,736 in the admitted (private) market. The market is improving: state-run Citizens has shrunk from about 1.4 million policies in 2023 to roughly 255,000 (Sept 2026), Citizens cut multiperil rates an average 8.8% for 2026, and regulators keep approving private-carrier rate cuts. Citizens now requires separate flood insurance on wind-covered homes with dwelling coverage of $400,000+ outside flood zones in 2026, extending to all such policies on January 1, 2027. A rental needs a landlord (dwelling) policy, and the full premium goes into the payment the rent has to cover, so get a real quote early.

Florida landlord rules that matter to a lender

Rent control: State law (F.S. 125.0103) bars cities and counties from adopting or keeping any rent control, and a 2023 law (HB 1417) moved regulation of residential tenancies to the state, overriding most local landlord-tenant rules.

Evictions: For unpaid rent the landlord serves a 3-day notice (weekends and court holidays excluded); after filing, the tenant has 5 business days to answer and must deposit the rent owed into the court registry to contest it, and once a writ issues the sheriff posts a 24-hour notice before handing back possession.

Since October 1, 2025, landlords must give tenants on leases of one year or longer a separate written flood disclosure (past flood claims, flood aid and known flood damage), and if the landlord skips it, a tenant who suffers a substantial flood loss (50% or more of their personal property) can end the lease with notice within 30 days (F.S. 83.512).

Short-term rental rules in Florida markets investors ask about

A lender only counts Airbnb or VRBO income if the property can legally operate as a short-term rental. If it can’t, the loan is sized on long-term rent from the appraiser’s rent schedule.

Orlando area / Kissimmee (Osceola County): Check first that the home sits in Osceola County’s short-term rental overlay or STRPD zoning. Then get a DBPR vacation rental license and a Local Business Tax Receipt from the county Tax Collector. Stays under 180 days owe Osceola’s 6% tourist development tax on top of Florida’s state sales tax and the county surtax on transient rentals.
Miami Beach: Rentals shorter than six months and one day are banned in all single-family homes and in many multifamily buildings; they are legal only in certain zoning districts and approved buildings shown on the city’s map. Permitted units need a city Business Tax Receipt and a Resort Tax account, and both numbers must appear in every listing. Combined lodging tax is about 13% (6% state plus 7% Miami Beach local rate).
Destin (Okaloosa County): Short-term rentals are allowed only in listed zoning districts, mainly the resort, mixed-use and Holiday Isle zones. Every rental needs a DBPR vacation rental license plus annual city registration, which costs $500-$700 depending on square footage, with late fees after March 31. Overnight occupancy is capped at 2 adults per bedroom plus 4, with a maximum of 24, and the rental must post an 18x18 sign. Okaloosa tourist development tax applies to stays under six months.

Rules change often. Confirm the permit status for the exact address with the city or county before you buy.

Other Florida factors for rental investors

Florida has no state personal income tax, so rental profits are taxed only at the federal level.
Statewide, a vacation rental license from DBPR is required when a whole unit is rented more than 3 times a year for stays under 30 days. State law also bars cities from banning STRs or limiting how long or how often they rent, unless the local rule dates from before June 1, 2011, which is why Miami Beach can still ban them.
Since Surfside, condo buildings three or more stories tall need milestone inspections at 30 years and a structural integrity reserve study every 10 years, and reserves for those items can no longer be waived. Buildings that fall short often land on Fannie Mae’s ‘unavailable’ list, which blocks conventional financing; in late 2023 Florida made up about a third of that list. As a result, many Florida condos need non-warrantable or DSCR-style loans and can carry large special assessments.
Flood risk changes the numbers: Citizens requires separate flood coverage on wind-insured homes (all such policies by Jan 1, 2027), and landlords must disclose flood history to tenants on leases of a year or longer.

Broker vs. direct DSCR lender

A direct DSCR lender can only offer its own program. As a broker, Save Financial compares 20+ DSCR lenders, including lenders active in Florida, which matters most when a property doesn’t fit the standard box.

	Single direct DSCR lender	Save Financial (broker, 20+ lenders)
Programs available	One lender’s guidelines and rate sheet	Guidelines and pricing from 20+ DSCR lenders, compared for your file
DSCR below 1.0	Only if that lender offers it	A program down to 0.75, plus a no-ratio option
Short-term rental income	That lender’s single method	Matched to the lender whose method gives the strongest qualifying rent
Lease requirement	Usually required on occupied units	One of our lenders uses the appraiser’s market rent with no lease
Reserves	Set by that lender	Cash-out loans generally need none; one lender requires none at all
Prepayment penalty	That lender’s structures	Choose 1-year, no-prepay or longer, priced side by side
How the originator is paid	Built into the rate and fees	Disclosed on your Loan Estimate; when lender-paid, it’s reflected in the rate

Florida DSCR loan questions

Can I get a DSCR loan in Florida if I live in California or another state?

Yes. A DSCR loan qualifies on the Florida property’s rent, not your residency, job or tax returns, so out-of-state investors close Florida rentals the same way local investors do. Save Financial is a California-based broker that arranges Florida DSCR loans through lenders active in the state.

What DSCR do lenders require in Florida?

A DSCR of 1.0 or higher, meaning the rent covers principal, interest, taxes, insurance and any HOA, gets the best pricing. A separate program accepts ratios down to 0.75 at a higher rate, and a no-ratio DSCR loan skips the ratio with about 25% down.

How do Florida property taxes affect a DSCR loan?

Taxes are part of the payment the rent has to cover. Florida’s average effective rate is about 0.78% for owner-occupied homes, per the Tax Foundation, and rentals don’t get owner-occupant breaks, so an investor’s bill is usually higher. See the property tax section above for how Florida assesses rentals.

What share of Florida households rent, and how much have home prices risen?

About 32.4% of Florida households rent their home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2024), and the median gross rent is $1,669 a month. FHFA data show Florida home prices rose 37.5% in the five years to mid-2026, versus 33.4% nationally.

Can I use Airbnb income on a Florida DSCR loan?

Yes, if the property can legally operate as a short-term rental under local rules. Lenders use 12 months of platform payouts, an AirDNA projection (often counted at 75–80%), or fall back to the appraiser’s long-term rent. Check the city rules above before you buy.

Can I close a Florida DSCR loan in an LLC?

Yes. DSCR loans close in an LLC or corporation with you as personal guarantor. If your LLC was formed in another state, Florida may require it to register as a foreign LLC before it holds property there; confirm with your attorney or CPA.

Do DSCR loans have prepayment penalties?

Usually. Most of our DSCR loans carry a one-year prepayment period. A no-prepay loan is available at a slightly higher rate or more in fees, and a longer prepayment period can lower your rate or fees.

How long does a Florida DSCR loan take to close?

Often about 18 days once your documents are complete, though appraisal timing varies. The appraisal with the rent schedule is usually the longest step, and closings can be done remotely or with a mobile notary.

DSCR Loans in Florida