Question 1

How much should I budget for property insurance on a Duval County rental?

Accepted Answer

Less than almost anywhere else in Florida, but budget the county, not the state average. As of March 31, 2026, Duval County's average homeowners premium including wind coverage was $2,786, and Clay County's was $2,540, both well under Hillsborough ($3,525), Orange ($3,610), Pinellas ($4,063) and Broward ($6,136). Nassau County, the barrier-island county, runs higher at $3,051. On a conventional file the insurance line goes straight into your qualifying ratio, so price the actual county before you commit, not a metro-wide figure.

Question 2

My Duval County rental isn't in a mapped flood zone. Do I still need flood insurance?

Accepted Answer

Possibly, and the answer runs through your insurer, not the flood map. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation now requires flood coverage on any personal-lines residential policy that carries wind coverage, phased in by dwelling replacement cost through January 1, 2027, and Citizens states the requirement applies regardless of flood zone. Citizens does not sell flood itself, so the coverage has to come from the NFIP or a private carrier. If your policy is with Citizens, plan for a flood premium in your carry math even on a parcel outside a Special Flood Hazard Area.

Question 3

What will my Duval County property tax escrow actually run?

Accepted Answer

Roughly 17.2 to 19.0 mills depending on which urban services district your parcel sits in, and about a third of that bill has no assessment cap at all. Duval's five districts, from Atlantic Beach at 17.2004 mills to the Town of Baldwin at 18.9701, with the old City of Jacksonville and the general services district both at 17.7412, sit in a tighter band than most Florida metros because the consolidated city-county government leaves no lower-cost unincorporated pocket to shop for. As an investor you're assessed on the 10 percent non-homestead cap, not the homestead cap, and Florida Statutes section 193.1554 exempts school district levies from that cap entirely. Schools are 6.3430 of Duval's 17.7412 mills, so roughly 36 percent of your bill is reassessed at full market value every single year regardless of how the cap treats the rest.

Question 4

I'm buying in Clay, St. Johns or Nassau County instead of Duval. Does the escrow math change?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and not always in the direction you'd expect. Unincorporated Clay County's 15.2523 mills is the lowest-cost rate in the metro, roughly 2.5 mills below Duval, and covers investor-heavy Middleburg and Fleming Island. St. Johns County investors have been paying a full extra mill since 2025 after a voter-approved school levy raised the district's rate from 5.278 to 6.272 mills, and because it's a school levy the non-homestead cap gives no protection from it. Pull the actual county estimator for the parcel, Duval's at taxcalc.coj.net, rather than pricing the deal off a single metro-wide rate.

Question 5

My tax returns won't fully document my income. Is conventional still the right fit for a Jacksonville rental?

Accepted Answer

Not if the file can't support it, and that's fine, because the local numbers still favor holding here. Single-family rents in the metro hit a record $2,102 a month in June 2026, up 2.5 percent year over year, while home values were down only 1.1 percent over the same period, the shallowest drawdown of Florida's three big metros in our research. That combination supports a hold either way; the question is just which structure gets you there. If your income doesn't fully document, our DSCR rental loan qualifies on the property's cash flow instead, and we'll run both structures side by side before you decide.

Question 6

What is the lowest credit score you will take on a Jacksonville conventional investment loan?

Accepted Answer

Five hundred eighty. Conventional investment starts at a 580 credit score, which is the lowest floor of any program we run that has one. The trade is documentation: this is a fully documented loan, so income has to support the file even when the score does. If your returns will not carry it, our DSCR rental loan qualifies on the property's rent instead and starts at 640. Subject to underwriting.

Question 7

How much do I put down on a Jacksonville conventional investment purchase?

Accepted Answer

Twenty percent at the top of the range. Max leverage is up to 80% LTV on non-owner-occupied investment property, so on a $300,000 Duval County purchase that is up to $240,000 from us and $60,000 from you (300,000 x 80% = 240,000). Budget the escrow on top of that: Duval runs roughly 17.2 to 19.0 mills depending on urban services district, and the school portion, 6.3430 of the 17.7412 total, sits outside Florida's 10% non-homestead cap and reassesses at full market value every year. Subject to underwriting.

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