Wilmington, DE
Is Wilmington a good place to buy rental property in 2026?
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2026, puts a Wilmington 2-bedroom at $1,810/mo and a 3-bedroom at $2,170/mo. At a stated $265,000 price with the 3-bedroom rent, the sample underwrite below comes to −$124/mo cash flow, a 6.1% cap rate, and a 0.99 DSCR. Whether a specific Wilmington property works depends on its own price, rent, tax bill, and insurance.
Data as of 2026; verify locally before you offer.
Wilmington rent benchmark
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2026, for the county or metro that contains Wilmington. It is a housing-program benchmark, not a comp for one property. Use it as your starting rent, then replace it with current leases for the address.
| Bedrooms | HUD FMR / month |
|---|---|
| 2 bedrooms | $1,810 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,170 |
By ZIP code: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rent, FY2026
HUD also publishes ZIP-level rents for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the region that includes Wilmington. Rent varies by ZIP and bedroom count.
| ZIP code | 2BR / month | 3BR / month |
|---|---|---|
| 08019 | $2,720 | $3,260 |
| 19355 | $2,450 | $2,940 |
| 19732 | $2,190 | $2,630 |
| 19040 | $2,080 | $2,490 |
| 19403 | $2,000 | $2,400 |
| 18955 | $1,910 | $2,290 |
| 19009 | $1,820 | $2,180 |
| 19899 | $1,780 | $2,130 |
| 19730 | $1,680 | $2,010 |
| 19464 | $1,610 | $1,930 |
| 19076 | $1,510 | $1,810 |
| 17536 | $1,130 | $1,470 |
12 of 473 ZIP codes in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, sampled highest to lowest.
What the HUD rent pencils to
Sample underwrite at a stated $265,000 price using the HUD 3-bedroom benchmark — not a listing. TrueCap ran its sample deal with $2,170/mo of rent and every other assumption unchanged.
- Monthly cash flow
- −$124/mo
- Cap rate
- 6.1%
- DSCR
- 0.99
Assumptions: $265,000 price, $2,170/mo rent (HUD FMR, 3 bedrooms), 20% down, 6.6% rate, 30-year loan, 3% closing costs, 1.49% property tax, 0.5% insurance, 5% vacancy, 8% management, 5% maintenance, 5% CapEx reserve. Change any of them in the analyzer and the numbers move with you.
Three things to verify locally
- Property tax bill. Pull the parcel's current bill from the county assessor or treasurer, and check how the assessment resets after a sale. The sample above uses 1.49% of price; your Wilmington bill may be higher or lower.
- Rental licensing and permits. Many cities require a rental license, an inspection, or a certificate of occupancy before you can lease. Confirm the Wilmington rules for the address and budget the fees before you close.
- Insurance quotes. Get a written landlord-policy quote for the specific property, including wind, hail, or flood coverage where it applies. Premiums vary by ZIP, building age, and roof.
Ready to run a Wilmington property?
Start with Wilmington context, then verify the address, rent, property tax, insurance, and every other assumption. Every assumption is labeled and editable.
The terms behind the numbers
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