Insurance is the dealbreaker — quote it BEFORE you offer
Appreciation marketFL · State guide
Investing in Florida rental property
No state income tax, massive population inflow, year-round rental demand. The catch: insurance pricing has reshaped which deals pencil — coastal Florida is harder to make work than at any point in the last decade.
For the broader landscape, see our roundup of the best states for rental investors in 2026.
Property tax
0.91%
effective rate
State income tax
0%
no state tax
Eviction timeline
21-30 days
filing → writ
Landlord friendliness
Strong
based on law
Sources & methodology. These are screening defaults and market estimates — not an appraisal, and not financial, tax, or legal advice. Verify rents, taxes, insurance, and local landlord/tenant law against the county assessor and your state's landlord-tenant statute before relying on them.
Data: Tax Foundation (tax rates) · State landlord-tenant statutes · Updated June 2026
Metro-level estimates — precision is lower at the neighborhood and parcel level; pull a specific address for exact, auto-filled figures. Reviewed by the TrueCap team. See our full methodology.
Why investors choose Florida
- No state income tax
- Population growth from domestic migration + retirees
- Strong landlord-friendly law and fast eviction (~21-30 days)
- Short-term rental potential in vacation markets (Orlando, Panhandle)
- Year-round rental season — minimal seasonal vacancy in most metros
The honest caveats
- Insurance up 35-50% since 2020 in coastal zones; some carriers exiting entirely
- Hurricane risk = mandatory windstorm + flood insurance in many areas
- Condo associations face post-Surfside reserve requirements → 20-40% HOA hikes coming
- Sun Belt overbuilding (Tampa, Cape Coral, Sarasota) has flattened rent growth
- Older properties (1970s-1980s) often have insurance-disqualifying roof issues
Best cities for rental investing in Florida
Jacksonville
Lower insurance risk than peninsula FL, strong jobs growth
Orlando
STR demand + tourism economy, but condo HOAs are a landmine
Gainesville
Student-housing market with steady University of FL demand
Best strategies for Florida
- Short-term rental in true vacation markets
- Long-term hold in Jacksonville / Tallahassee (lower insurance risk)
- Avoid coastal condos until HOA reserve picture clears
Insurance note for Florida
Florida is the single most-changed insurance market in the US. Annual premiums of $3,500-7,500 on a $350k SFR are now common in coastal counties. Always quote insurance yourself before signing a contract.
Run the math on a Florida deal
Paste an address into TrueCap and get cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR, and 10-year projection in 60 seconds. State-specific property tax + insurance estimates included.
Try TrueCap freeUnderwrite a Florida deal in three steps
- Screen the listing with the 1% rule calculator — if it's in the ballpark for Florida, move on.
- Compute returns with the cap rate calculator and the DSCR calculator using local property tax + insurance figures.
- Match the deal to your strategy — see the playbooks for buy-and-hold investors and BRRRR operators.
Other states