Jacksonville is big, varied and financed on standard terms by our lending partners, with a deep renter base that includes two major Navy installations. The property-level checks decide most deals here: the flood zone, the insurance quote, and the Florida taxes on both the deed and the loan. This page covers those, Florida's landlord rules and its 2024 squatter law.
Jacksonville is the largest city by land area in the continental United States, and its metro, Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau counties, covers everything from urban neighborhoods to beach towns to new suburbs. None of those counties is on the list our lending partners cap at 50 percent leverage, and the metro easily passes the location guideline.
That size is part of the opportunity: prices vary a great deal from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the renter base is broad, including military households tied to Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. It is also why the property-level checks matter more here than in a compact city.
Jacksonville sits on the St. Johns River, the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, with a great deal of low-lying land in between. A property in a mapped high-risk flood zone will need flood insurance for any lender, and wind coverage is a significant cost across coastal Northeast Florida.
Look up the flood zone before you make an offer, and get actual flood and homeowners quotes during your inspection period. For a rental on a DSCR loan, the insurance goes into the payment the rent has to cover, and in some Jacksonville neighborhoods it decides whether the deal works. Our lending partners' DSCR program runs from $75,000 to $2 million at up to 80 percent of value, with rates from 5.99 percent on the program page.
Unpaid rent: a three-day notice to pay or leave, counting business days only, before an eviction filing.
Security deposits: returned within 15 days if the landlord makes no claim, or a written notice of claim sent by certified mail within 30 days.
Squatters. A 2024 Florida law lets a property owner ask the county sheriff to remove unauthorized occupants from a residential property quickly, if certain conditions are met, rather than going through a full eviction. For an investor holding a vacant house during a renovation, that is a meaningful protection. Keep the house secured and visited anyway.
On the loan: documentary stamp tax of 35 cents per $100 on the note and a 0.2 percent intangible tax on the mortgage, usually paid by the borrower. On a $200,000 hard money loan that is about $700 plus $400.
On the deed: 70 cents per $100 of price, customarily paid by the seller outside Miami-Dade. On a $300,000 resale, $2,100.
Property tax: Florida's 10 percent annual limit on assessment increases for non-homestead property resets when the property sells, so estimate a rental's tax on what you paid, not on the seller's bill.
Fix and flip and bridge loans: from $50,000, up to 100 percent of cost but no more than 70 percent of after-repair value, with a 600 minimum credit score. Standard pricing under the underwriting guidelines is 12.99 percent and 2.99 points. The 10.99 percent starting rate is available after two loans have been paid off in good standing with our lending partner; a first-time borrower should expect to start above it and earn the way down.
Construction loans: $100,000 to $3 million on non-owner-occupied single-family homes, from 8.5 percent.
Loans close in an entity such as an LLC, and every owner of 30 percent or more personally guarantees the loan. Terms change, so we confirm them for your property before you commit.
Yes, on standard terms. Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau counties are not among the six counties where our lending partners cap leverage at 50 percent, and the Jacksonville metro easily meets their location guideline. The property must be non-owner-occupied investment property.
It depends on the flood zone. Jacksonville has a great deal of waterfront and low-lying land, and a lender will require flood insurance on a property in a mapped high-risk zone. Check the zone and get a quote during your inspection period, because it can change a rental's numbers.
With a three-day notice to pay or leave that counts only business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, before filing an eviction case.
Fifteen days if the landlord makes no claim on it, or 30 days to send written notice of a claim by certified mail, after which the tenant has 15 days to object.
A 2024 Florida law lets a property owner ask the county sheriff to remove unauthorized occupants from a residential property quickly, if certain conditions are met, instead of going through a full eviction. It matters for vacant investment houses.
Florida charges documentary stamp tax of 35 cents per $100 on the note and an intangible tax of 0.2 percent on the mortgage, usually paid by the borrower. On a $200,000 loan, that is about $700 plus $400.
Holding a Jacksonville rental? Our two free landlord books compare what a rental costs to carry across twelve states, including Florida.
Answer these and your deal goes to our lending partner's team, who will contact you about whether it is fundable and on what terms. By sending it you agree to your details being shared with them. Investment property only — our lending partners do not finance a home you will live in.
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Dominion Hard Money does not lend its own funds; it arranges financing through third-party lending partners. All financing is arranged for business purposes only and secured by non-owner-occupied investment property. Not a commitment to lend. All loans subject to underwriting, property review, and approval by the lender. Terms vary by property, borrower experience, and exit strategy.
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