Florida Build-to-Rent Underwriting Checklist
For developers and build-to-rent investors · Updated October 19, 2026
Most build-to-rent (BTR) deals that lose money were never going to work — the problem was in the land, the zoning, the utilities or the rent assumptions, and it was there before the first permit was filed.
This checklist is the list of questions we work through before a BTR project in Florida moves forward. It covers the site, zoning and entitlements, utilities, permits, the budget line items that most often get missed, the questions to put to your lender, and a realistic timeline. Where we give numbers, they are typical ranges from our published articles and city pages, with a link to the source.
What's inside
- Site and due-diligence questions to answer before you make an offer on land
- Zoning and entitlement checks, including when the Live Local Act may apply
- Utility, flood-zone and impact-fee items that most often break a pro forma
- A budget line-item list (hard, soft, financing, contingency) with typical ranges
- Rent, operating-expense and return checks — and the exit plan
- Questions to ask your construction lender, plus a phase-by-phase timeline
8 sections · 56 checklist items · printable
Get the full checklist
Enter your email to unlock it on this page. You can print it or save it as a PDF.
Check your own site
Our free AI feasibility report runs the first pass on a specific property — zoning, an estimated build cost and a return estimate — so you know which items on this list need a closer look.
Get your free feasibility report