Question 1

Why is insurance cheaper on a Jacksonville rental than elsewhere in Florida?

Accepted Answer

The state regulator's own county table puts Duval below every large Florida metro county. As of March 2026, the average Duval County homeowners premium including wind coverage was $2,786, below every large Florida metro county we track: Hillsborough $3,525, Orange $3,610, Pinellas $4,063, Broward $6,136. Clay County runs even lower at $2,540. Jacksonville also sits in FLOIR's lowest-litigation bucket for claims closed in 2025 (8.16% litigated, against 27.27% in the Palm Beach/Broward/Miami-Dade tri-county region), and the 2024 hurricane season that hammered Tampa Bay barely touched Duval: 93 NFIP flood claims for the whole year. That said, any Citizens-insured rental in the metro needs a flood policy by January 1, 2027, regardless of flood zone, so budget that in on a refinance or purchase we're underwriting today. Talk to your insurance agent for a bound quote on the specific address before we lock a DSCR ratio; if the deal started as a rehab, see the fix and flip program for how we bridge acquisition before the refinance into DSCR.

Question 2

Can I use short-term rental income to qualify a Jacksonville DSCR loan?

Accepted Answer

Only once you confirm which of Duval's governments actually controls the parcel, because three neighboring Beaches towns run three different rules. Atlantic Beach prohibits rentals under 90 consecutive days in residential zones. Neptune Beach prohibits rentals under 28 days in all residential zoning districts. Jacksonville Beach permits short-term rentals with a certificate: $150 a year, a mandatory Fire Marshal inspection, and renewal due every October 1. The City of Jacksonville's own rule for the rest of Duval County could not be confirmed at a primary source as of this writing, and a widely repeated claim that it only allows STRs in General Commercial and Historic Core zoning is unverified, so we don't rely on it. Wherever STR income is legal, Duval's 6% bed tax (a 4% tourist development tax plus a 2% convention development tax) is not collected by Airbnb or VRBO; the county states plainly there is no remittance agreement with any platform, so the host files monthly. Confirm the municipality, the zoning, and the license before we underwrite nightly income; see the DSCR program terms for how STR income gets structured once that's in hand.

Question 3

What does the Duval County property tax bill actually look like on a rental?

Accepted Answer

An investor pays the non-homestead assessment cap, not the 3% homestead cap a seller's own bill might reflect, and a third of the Duval bill isn't capped at all. The consolidated government's millage runs 17.2004 to 18.9701 depending on urban services district, a tight 1.77-mill band with no cheap unincorporated pocket to shop for, since Duval and the old City of Jacksonville merged into one government in 1968. Florida's 10% non-homestead cap resets to full market value on a change of ownership, so a purchase typically raises the first-year bill above what the seller was paying. Worse for the math: that 10% cap does not apply to school district levies under Florida Statutes section 193.1554, and schools are 6.3430 of Duval's 17.7412 total mills, so roughly 36% of the bill is reassessed at full value every year with no ceiling on the increase. If the unit is furnished, Duval also taxes furniture and appliances as tangible personal property, with an April 1 filing deadline; miss it and the $25,000 exemption is forfeited for the year. Talk to your CPA about your own filing. If you're financing across more than one Jacksonville-area county, the portfolio loan program can put scattered parcels on one facility instead of five separate tax and insurance headaches.

Question 4

How do I read the rent number on a Jacksonville DSCR file when the metro is this spread out?

Accepted Answer

Off the specific submarket, not the metro average, because the spread between Jacksonville proper and its coastal and Clay County suburbs is wide. The metro's single-family rent index hit a record $2,102 a month in June 2026, up 2.5% year over year, and the all-property-types index hit a record $1,708, up 1.2%, both Zillow series at all-time highs (as of mid-2026). But Jacksonville city itself runs $1,600 a month on a $287,871 value, Middleburg and Green Cove Springs in Clay County run higher gross yields at $1,990 and $2,147 on lower values, and the Beaches cities like Jacksonville Beach ($2,538 rent on $643,237 value) are appreciation plays with a materially lower yield. Those figures are gross rent over value, not a cap rate, since they don't net out taxes, insurance, or expenses. Run the actual address through the DSCR calculator with a rent figure you can defend, not the metro headline number.

Question 5

What actually keeps a Jacksonville rental occupied besides tourism?

Accepted Answer

Logistics, health care, and back-office finance, not the beach. Jacksonville's accommodation and food services sector (45,960 jobs, $579 a week as of Q4 2025) is roughly the same size as its finance and insurance sector (42,274 jobs, $1,976 a week), and transportation and warehousing is bigger than both at 49,535 jobs. JAXPORT moved 10,230,114 tons and 1,388,841 TEUs in fiscal 2025 and its own 2024 economic impact study credits it with 30,764 direct port-dependent jobs locally at an average salary of $76,706. Health care and social assistance alone is 92,292 Duval County jobs, and education and health services added 10,100 metro jobs over the two years to June 2026, the metro's clearest growth sector while overall payrolls have been roughly flat. That's a broader, less seasonal tenant base than a tourism-driven metro, though it's also worth knowing payrolls aren't booming: metro nonfarm employment is up only 0.3% year over year, so we underwrite the rent roll on the specific unit, not a growth story.

Question 6

What is a DSCR loan, and how do I qualify without tax returns?

Accepted Answer

A DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) loan qualifies on the property's rental income instead of your personal income, so there are no W-2s or tax returns required. We compare the rent, from a signed lease or the appraiser's market-rent estimate, against the monthly payment. A DSCR of 1.00 means the rent covers the payment, and we lend with a DSCR as low as 0.75.

Question 7

What rate and terms can I get on a rental loan?

Accepted Answer

Our rental program starts around 5.50% interest-only, with 30-year fixed and 5/7/10-year ARM options, for a single property or a whole portfolio. The lowest pricing goes to strong credit, lower leverage, and a DSCR above 1.20; your quote depends on the file and is subject to underwriting.

Question 8

How much can I borrow, and what is the maximum LTV?

Accepted Answer

We finance up to 80% loan-to-value on a purchase, with rate-and-term and cash-out refinances available, on loan amounts from $100K to $3M. Cash-out leverage is typically a little lower than purchase. The property's cash flow and your credit set your final leverage.

Question 9

What credit score do I need for a DSCR loan?

Accepted Answer

We start at 640, and the best pricing goes to strong credit. Because the loan qualifies on the asset, your score affects your rate and leverage more than whether you are approved.

Question 10

Can I get a DSCR loan on a short-term rental (Airbnb)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, short-term rentals are considered. We can underwrite using market or projected rents, and the property still needs to meet our DSCR. Tell us how the property is operated so we can structure it correctly.

Question 11

Is there a prepayment penalty?

Accepted Answer

Long-term rental loans usually carry a prepayment penalty, commonly a step-down such as 5/4/3/2/1. We offer flexible prepay structures, including buying down to a shorter penalty for a slightly higher rate, and we will lay out the options on your term sheet.

Rental / DSCR in Jacksonville

How it works

Run your Rental / DSCR numbers.

Rental / DSCR in Jacksonville: local questions

Rental / DSCR questions, answered.

Guides for Rental / DSCR

Rental / DSCR vs. other options

Other programs in Jacksonville

Funding Jacksonville deals fast.