The Reality of Landlording in Jacksonville Right Now
Jacksonville's rental market has shifted. While rents have increased over the past few years, so have the costs of owning rental property — and for many landlords, the expenses are outpacing the income. Property insurance in Duval County has seen 30-50% premium increases since 2022. Property taxes have risen with assessed values. And the cost of maintenance and repairs keeps climbing with construction labor and material prices.
The numbers tell the story neighborhood by neighborhood. A 3BR/2BA rental in Cedar Hills (32210) that rents for $1,250/month now carries roughly $350/month in property insurance, $170/month in taxes, and averages $200/month in maintenance and vacancy reserves — before the mortgage. On the Northside (32208), rents of $1,000-$1,200/month on properties valued at $130,000-$160,000 produce even thinner margins, because a single $9,000 roof replacement wipes out 8-10 months of cash flow. In Arlington (32211), higher-value rentals face the same squeeze at a larger scale — a $2,200/month rental with a $1,800 mortgage, $400 insurance, and $300 in taxes and maintenance is already underwater before the first vacancy or repair call.
Then there's the tenant factor. Duval County eviction filings have remained elevated, with the Duval County Clerk processing thousands of residential eviction cases annually. The process typically takes 2-4 weeks for non-payment — but it's not free. The Duval County filing fee is $185 plus $10 per summons, attorney costs run $500-$1,500, and the Duval County Sheriff's Office handles the writ of possession. Add lost rent during the process and turnover costs (cleaning, painting, minor repairs averaging $1,500-$3,500 in Jacksonville), and a single bad tenant experience costs $4,000-$9,000. If you've been through that cycle more than once on a Westside or Northside rental, the math stops making sense.
Selling a Rental Property With Tenants in Place
One of the biggest obstacles landlords face when they want to sell is the tenant situation. If you have a tenant on a lease, you can't simply list the property and show it like a vacant home. Jacksonville tenants have rights under Florida Statute 83, and most leases require 24-hour notice before showings. Some tenants cooperate. Many don't — especially if they know a sale might mean they have to move.
We buy rental properties with tenants in place. If your tenant is month-to-month, great — we take over the tenancy and handle everything going forward. If they're on a lease, we honor it. If you have a problem tenant you're trying to evict, we can still close — we'll take on the eviction process after we own the property. You don't have to navigate tenant drama and a property sale simultaneously.
For properties with significant deferred maintenance — common in long-term rentals — we buy as-is. That means no pre-sale repairs, no inspection contingencies, and no buyer asking for a new roof before they'll close. If your rental also has open code violations from deferred maintenance or tenant damage, we handle those too.
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The Financial Case for Selling Your Jacksonville Rental
Many landlords hold onto rental properties longer than they should because of sunk cost fallacy — "I've already put $30K into this house, I can't sell now." But every month a property loses money or sits vacant, that's more cash out the door. The question isn't what you've already spent — it's whether the property will generate a positive return going forward.
Consider a concrete example: a Cedar Hills rental purchased in 2016 for $110,000, now worth approximately $195,000 with a $78,000 mortgage balance. That's $117,000 in equity. But the property needs a new roof ($11,000), the HVAC is original from 2003 and failing ($7,500 to replace), and the current tenant's lease expires in two months with no guarantee of renewal. The property's actual annual return — after insurance ($3,400), taxes ($1,970), a 5% vacancy rate, and average maintenance — is roughly 2.1% on the equity. That same $117,000 in a diversified index fund earns more with zero management burden.
Compare that to the actual net income your Jacksonville rental generates after mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancies, and your time. For many Duval County landlords, the answer is sobering. Get a no-obligation cash offer and see what selling looks like compared to another year of landlording.
What to Expect When You Work With Us
Share the Property Details
Tell us about the rental — address, current tenant status, condition, and any ongoing issues. We buy single-family, duplex, and small multifamily properties across Duval County.
Receive a Cash Offer
We evaluate the property based on Jacksonville rental comps, current condition, and tenant situation. Written offer within 24 hours — no obligation, no pressure.
Close With or Without Tenants
We close at a local title company. Tenants stay or go — we handle the transition. You walk away with cash and zero remaining landlord obligations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. In Florida, the lease transfers with the property — it's attached to the real estate, not the landlord. When we buy your rental, we step into your shoes as the new landlord and honor the existing lease terms. Your tenant's deposit transfers to us at closing. You don't need your tenant's permission to sell.
Under Florida Statute 83.49, the security deposit transfers to the new owner at closing. We handle the required written notice to the tenant informing them of the ownership change and new deposit holder. This is all standard and handled by the title company and our team — you don't need to do anything.
Absolutely. We buy properties with non-paying tenants, tenants in active eviction, and even properties where the tenant has caused damage. We factor the eviction timeline and any expected costs into our offer. For you, it means walking away from the situation entirely — no more court dates, no more unpaid rent, no more property damage.
Selling a rental property can trigger capital gains tax and depreciation recapture. The specifics depend on how long you've owned the property, your cost basis, depreciation taken, and your income level. We recommend consulting a CPA or tax advisor before selling. Some sellers use a 1031 exchange to defer taxes by purchasing another investment property — if that's of interest, we can coordinate with your exchange intermediary.
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