A duplex is the most common way Florida buyers house hack: you live on one side and the tenant's rent helps carry the mortgage. FHA treats a duplex almost exactly like a single-family home. The down payment is the same 3.5%, the credit score tiers are the same, and the automated ratios are the same at about 46.9% of gross income for housing and 56.9% for all debts. Two things change in your favor. The loan limit is higher, and the rent from the other unit counts as income.
The FHA duplex rules
- Down payment: 3.5% at a 580 score or higher, 10% from 500 to 579. All of it can be a gift from family.
- Occupancy: at least one borrower moves into one unit within 60 days of closing and lives there for at least a year.
- Rent: the lender counts 75% of the lower of the appraiser's fair market rent or the signed lease for the unit you'll rent out. No landlord experience is needed.
- Loan limit: $693,050 for two units in most Florida counties for 2026, and higher in costlier counties. Look yours up with the loan limits tool.
- Reserves: FHA sets no minimum savings after closing on a duplex with an automated approval.
- Self-sufficiency test: applies only to 3 and 4 units, so a duplex never faces it.
- Seller help: the seller can pay up to 6% of the price toward your closing costs.
One rule works differently on 2 to 4 units. When a co-borrower won't live in the property, FHA caps the loan at 75% of the value, which means 25% down. A parent co-signing helps most on a single-family home, where FHA keeps the full 96.5% loan.
A $460,000 duplex, with and without the rent
Run this duplex at a 5.75% rate on a 30-year fixed, with property taxes at about 0.90% of the price a year and $400 a month for insurance (a two-unit building costs more to insure). The second unit rents for $2,100.
- Down payment (3.5%): $16,100
- Base loan (96.5%): $443,900
- Upfront MIP (1.75%, added to the loan): $7,768.25
- Total loan: $451,668.25
| Monthly payment piece | Amount |
|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $2,635.81 |
| Annual MIP (0.55% of $443,900, divided by 12) | $203.45 |
| Property taxes | $345.00 |
| Insurance | $400.00 |
| Total housing payment | $3,584.26 |
The buyer earns $6,200 a month and has a $300 car payment. Seventy-five percent of the $2,100 rent is $1,575.
| Without the rent | With 75% of the rent | |
|---|---|---|
| Income used | $6,200.00 | $7,775.00 |
| Housing ratio | 57.81% | 46.10% |
| Total ratio | 62.65% | 49.96% |
| Inside FHA's 46.9% and 56.9%? | No | Yes |
On salary alone, this buyer couldn't carry a $3,584 payment. Add the tenant and both ratios drop inside FHA's limits. The cash side is manageable too: $16,100 down, and the seller can cover closing costs up to 6% of the price, or $27,600 on this building.
Conventional and VA on a duplex
Conventional loans allow a duplex you'll live in with 5% down ($23,000 on this example) from a 620 score, plus six months of the full payment in reserves after closing. Fannie Mae gives full credit for the rent once you have 12 months of experience managing rentals, and a first-time landlord gets more limited credit. VA finances a duplex with $0 down for eligible veterans and service members, with six months of reserves. USDA doesn't finance 2 to 4 unit homes.
For most first-time house hackers, FHA's 580 score floor, 3.5% down and rent counted from day one make it the easiest of the three to approve.
If the duplex numbers come up short
Start with the rent. The lender counts 75% of the lower of the lease or the appraiser's market rent, so a building whose tenant pays close to market rent qualifies you for more than one with a below-market lease. Every extra $100 of monthly rent adds $75 of qualifying income. Paying off a car loan with a few thousand left lowers the total ratio, and a gift from family can cover the full 3.5% down payment. Price moves every line of the payment at once: each $10,000 off this duplex trims about $69 a month.
Plug any building's price, rent and taxes into the house hacking calculator to see your ratios with and without the tenant. When a specific duplex catches your eye, call AAA Capital Funding at 888-601-8344 and we'll confirm the rent, the payment and the approval math before you write the offer.