8Twelve Mortgage US
Licensed in Florida

Florida DSCR loans.
Rental income, not personal tax returns.

A Florida DSCR loan is a mortgage for a Florida rental property, long-term or short-term. Instead of your personal tax returns, W-2s or pay stubs, the lender compares the rent with the property's monthly housing payment, including insurance, flood coverage and taxes. Select programs carry no minimum ratio at all.

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Last updated: August 2026

20-25%
Typical down payment
No minimum
DSCR on select programs
40+
Lender network

For investors buying or refinancing in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, South Florida and the vacation markets, including short-term rentals and LLC closings. Send us the address and we quote the real monthly cost first - insurance, flood where it applies, and taxes at investor assessment - then shop it across our lender network and show you the options it fits.

Who it's for

A fit if you're…

  • Buying a long-term rental in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, or South Florida
  • Financing a short-term rental near the theme parks, the Gulf, or the Keys
  • Holding Florida property in an LLC for liability separation
  • Refinancing a Florida rental out of hard money into 30-year fixed debt
  • Self-employed, with Schedule E write-offs that block conventional qualification

Florida-ready underwriting

Insurance, flood coverage, and property taxes are considered upfront.

Insurance modelled up front

Windstorm, flood, and roof age all move the ratio. We build them into the DSCR rather than discovering them at closing.

Short-term rental programs

Vacation-rental revenue is accepted by many lenders. Our short-term rental loans page covers the evidence they take.

Non-warrantable condos

Florida's reserve and milestone-inspection rules have pushed many associations non-warrantable. Several DSCR lenders still lend, at lower leverage.

LLC closings

Title and debt in the entity with a personal guaranty, including doc stamp and intangible tax in the cash-to-close estimate.

Single-family rental home in Florida with tile roof and mature landscaping
In Florida the windstorm and flood lines inside PITIA often decide the ratio.
DSCR calculator

Will the rent carry the loan?

Target ratio in use: 1.00. Several programs have no minimum DSCR at all up to 75% LTV.

Seeded with a Central Florida single-family rental: taxes at roughly 1.2% of value at investor assessment, and insurance at a Florida-realistic $4,800 a year. Try dropping insurance to a non-coastal $2,400 to see how much of the ratio that one line item controls.

$
$100k$2M
%
0%50%

Loan amount: $288,750

%
4%12%
yrs
10 yrs40 yrs
$
$0$40k
$
$0$20k
$
$0$1,500
$
$500$15k
%
0%25%

Most DSCR lenders use gross market rent (0%). Add a haircut to stress-test.

$
$0$60k

Defaults to 2% of the loan and follows it until you set a value. Drives the APR.

Set this to the ratio your lender wants, or choose no minimum to size a no-ratio loan.

DSCR
1.07
At or above your 1.00 target
APR
7.454%
Note rate 7.25% · Based on the points and fees you entered. Excludes third-party closing costs that are not finance charges.
Loan amount
$288,750
Principal & interest
$1,970 / mo
Taxes, insurance & HOA
$783 / mo
Total PITIA
$2,753 / mo
Qualifying rent
$2,950 / mo
Monthly cash flow before reserves
+$197
Max loan at your target DSCR (1.00)
$317,611
Capped by 80% max LTV
$308,000
Practical loan ceiling
$308,000
Terms of repayment
30 years, fixed, 360 monthly payments

The lower of the two is your practical ceiling. Most DSCR programs cap purchase LTV at 80%, and no-minimum-DSCR programs generally cap it at 75%.

Talk to an investor specialist

For illustration only. Not a commitment to lend, a rate lock, or an offer of credit. Rates, DSCR requirements, taxes, insurance, and rents vary by lender, property, and market. Your actual terms are determined after application and full underwriting.

Where insurance decides the deal

In most states, insurance is a rounding error inside PITIA. In Florida it can be the largest non-principal line on the page. Two identical rentals with the same rent, price, and rate can land on opposite sides of a 1.00 DSCR purely on the insurance quote - roof age, distance to coast, flood zone, and carrier appetite. A high windstorm or flood premium is not automatically a dead deal, though: when it pushes the ratio under 1.00 the file moves to a no-ratio DSCR loan with no minimum DSCR up to 75% LTV on select programs, so you are trading leverage rather than losing the deal. If you are new to the product, start with how DSCR loans work, then price a specific address in the DSCR calculator.

  • Get a bindable insurance quote during due diligence, not after the appraisal
  • Roof age drives both premium and insurability - a 15+ year roof narrows the carrier list sharply
  • Flood is a separate policy where required, and it counts inside the ratio
  • Citizens versus the private market can be a several-thousand-dollar annual swing on the same address
  • A DSCR below 1.0 on the insurance line still finances at 75% LTV or lower on no-minimum-DSCR programs
Calculate my DSCR

Florida DSCR loan requirements and property taxes

The requirements are the same ones you would meet anywhere - documented rent, credit, funds to close and reserves, typically 20-25% down - with one Florida-specific twist: the tax figure a lender uses is not the one on the current bill. Millage rates vary by county, but investor tax bills commonly work out to roughly 0.8% to 1.3% of value. The important point for a DSCR file: the homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes 3% assessment cap do not follow to an investment purchase. A property that has been owner-occupied for a decade may reassess sharply upward the year after you buy it, and the lender will underwrite the new number.

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Florida markets where DSCR files concentrate

Demand shows up across quite different underwriting profiles, and the right structure differs by market.

  • Tampa, Jacksonville, Ocala, Lakeland - long-term rental cash flow, the most straightforward ratios
  • Orlando, Kissimmee, Davenport - short-term rental corridors, covered in full on our short-term rental loans page
  • Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach - higher values, thinner ratios, frequent condo and non-warrantable questions
  • Panama City Beach, Destin, the Keys - strong revenue with the heaviest insurance load in the state
See My Florida DSCR Options

Florida condos and DSCR

Since the 2021 legislative changes, Florida associations must fund reserves and complete milestone structural inspections on older buildings. That has moved a meaningful share of the state's condo inventory to non-warrantable. It is not a dead end - a number of DSCR lenders will lend on non-warrantable projects, typically at 20-25% lower leverage and slightly higher cost. Pull the reserve study, the milestone status, and any special assessment history before you commit.

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Costs specific to a Florida closing

Beyond standard lender and title charges, Florida levies documentary stamp tax on the promissory note and intangible tax on the mortgage. Together these are a real line in cash-to-close on an investor purchase and should be in your model from the start rather than appearing on the closing disclosure. Buying across the Gulf instead? The tax load rather than the insurance load drives the ratio on Texas DSCR loans.

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Things to weigh

  • An insurance quote that lands well above your estimate is the most common reason a Florida DSCR file has to be restructured, usually onto a no-ratio program at lower leverage. Quote it early.
  • Prior-owner tax figures are misleading on Florida investment purchases - underwrite the post-sale reassessment, not the current bill.
  • Short-term rental income is only as good as the local ordinance. Several Florida municipalities restrict or license short-term rentals; confirm before you underwrite the revenue.
  • Prepayment penalties are standard on DSCR loans. Price the buy-out if you might sell or refinance within three years.
  • Closing in an LLC does not remove your personal guaranty and is not legal or tax advice - consult your attorney and CPA.
FAQ

Questions buyers actually ask

Can I get a DSCR loan in Florida?+

Yes. 8Twelve Mortgage US Inc. arranges DSCR financing on Florida investment property, including single-family rentals, 2-4 unit properties, condos, and short-term rentals in the vacation markets.

How does Florida insurance affect my DSCR?+

Heavily. Insurance sits inside the PITIA denominator, so a windstorm or flood premium that comes in higher than projected lowers the ratio directly. That does not end the file: a Florida property whose insurance load pushes the DSCR below 1.0 is still financeable on a no-ratio program, typically at 75% LTV or lower. Get a bindable quote early so you know which side of the ratio you are pricing on.

Do Florida DSCR loans work for short-term rentals?+

Yes on many programs, which matters in Orlando, Kissimmee, Davenport, Panama City Beach and the Keys where nightly revenue can substantially exceed long-term market rent. Some lenders restrict specific condo-hotel projects, and several Florida municipalities license or limit short-term letting, so confirm the rules for the address. Our short-term rental and Airbnb loans page covers how nightly revenue is documented.

Are Florida condos harder to finance with a DSCR loan?+

They can be. Florida's post-2021 structural-integrity and reserve-funding requirements have pushed a number of associations into non-warrantable status. Several DSCR lenders will still lend on non-warrantable condos, usually at lower leverage. Milestone inspection status and reserve studies are worth pulling before you go under contract.

What are typical Florida property taxes for a DSCR calculation?+

Florida property tax rates commonly land in the 0.8% to 1.3% range of assessed value depending on the county and millage. Note that the Save Our Homes assessment cap and homestead exemption do not apply to investment property, so an investor's tax bill is often materially higher than the prior owner's.

What are the DSCR loan requirements in Florida?+

A Florida DSCR loan needs documented rent for the property, credit, funds to close and reserves. Plan on 20-25% down on a purchase and 25% or more on a cash-out refinance, with credit from 620 available on some programs. The rent does not have to cover the payment: select programs carry no minimum DSCR at all up to 75% LTV. Because insurance sits inside the payment here, a bindable Florida insurance quote is part of the file in practice.

How much down payment do I need for a DSCR loan?+

Typically 20-25% on a purchase and 25% or more on a cash-out refinance. In Florida's coastal markets, where insurance is high, more down payment is often the cleanest way to lift a thin ratio, and no-minimum-DSCR programs generally sit at 75% LTV or lower for the same reason.

Can I get a DSCR loan in an LLC?+

Yes, and it is common for Florida investors. Title and the debt vest in the entity with a personal guaranty, and the lender will ask for formation documents and the operating agreement. Florida also charges documentary stamp tax on the note and intangible tax on the mortgage, so factor those into cash-to-close. Whether an LLC is right for you is a question for your attorney and CPA.

Price your Florida rental.

A 3-minute application. No credit pull to start. A rate estimate from a broker shopping 40+ lenders for you.

See My Florida DSCR OptionsTalk to an investor specialist
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