Oct 2026
Renting out your home instead of selling can pay in 2026 if the rent covers every cost and you’d keep a low-rate mortgage: single-family rents in the Miami metro rose 3.2% in a year. Henrique Faria, Bilingual REALTOR® with Avanti Way Premiere in Weston, FL, notes you’ll lose your homestead and the federal capital-gains exclusion has a deadline.
Yes, single-family homes are renting for more than a year ago, even as apartments soften. Zillow’s rent index, as analyzed by Wolf Street on October 19, shows single-family rents in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro up 3.2% year over year, versus 1.7% for multifamily.
Apartments tell a different story. Zumper reported Miami’s median two-bedroom fell 3.9% year over year in September, to $3,230, and Fort Lauderdale posted the region’s largest annual drop for one-bedrooms (6.1%). MIAMI REALTORS® also expects 14,176 new apartment units to be delivered in 2026 and 18,221 in 2027. In practice, a house with a yard in Weston, Plantation or Palmetto Bay competes in a segment with far less new supply than a condo in Brickell or Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas corridor.
Median single-family rent ran about $3,500 to $3,600 a month across the three counties, according to the MIAMI REALTORS® rental report with May 2026 data: $3,500 in Miami-Dade, $3,595 in Broward and $3,600 in Palm Beach.
That’s the median. Four-bedroom homes in communities with strong schools, a pool or a clubhouse, such as in Coral Gables, Weston, Boca Raton, Wellington or Palm Beach Gardens, typically rent above it. Before deciding, ask for a rent analysis of comparable homes on your street or in your community, not the county.
Run a full monthly budget: mortgage, property taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance, vacancy and management, then subtract it from a realistic rent. An illustrative example: if your Miramar home would rent for $4,800 and you pay $2,900 in mortgage, $900 in taxes, $450 in insurance and $200 in HOA dues, you’d net about $350 before repairs and empty months. At that point the decision turns on your rate and how much you expect the home to appreciate.
That’s why your rate matters so much. Freddie Mac reported a 7.32% average 30-year rate on October 22, 2026. If your current loan is at 3% or 4%, that gap is hard to make up, and many owners choose to rent. For comparison, the same MIAMI REALTORS® report estimated that buying a median-priced house with 10% down cost about $5,136 a month in Broward and $5,503 in Palm Beach, more than the median rent, which keeps tenant demand steady.
You’ll usually lose it. Florida Statute 196.061 treats renting all or substantially all of a homestead as abandonment, with limited exceptions for short rentals (no more than 30 days per calendar year over two consecutive years). Without homestead, the home loses the Save Our Homes assessment cap and its taxes can jump. You can usually port your homestead savings to your new home; ask your county property appraiser for the numbers before you decide.
Generally up to about three years: the federal exclusion shields up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for married couples filing jointly) if you lived in the home as your primary residence for at least two of the five years before the sale. Rent past that window and you lose it. Depreciation you claim as a landlord is not covered by the exclusion. This is general information, not tax advice, so talk to your CPA before you sign a lease.
If you relocated to South Florida and still own a house up north, the same two-of-five-year clock applies to that property too.
The essentials: a written lease, landlord insurance, HOA rules and proper handling of the security deposit. Florida law (Section 83.49) sets deadlines to return the deposit or give written notice of deductions, and many HOAs have their own tenant-approval process or minimum lease terms. Check whether your city requires rental registration. A well-screened tenant with verified income (asking for about three times the rent is a market custom, not a law) is worth more than a few hundred extra dollars a month.
Selling usually makes more sense if the rent won’t cover your costs, you need the equity for your next purchase, or you’re close to losing the two-of-five-year exclusion. It also wins if you don’t want to be a long-distance landlord: moving from Aventura to Jupiter, for example, turns every repair into a drive. The right answer is the one that fits your numbers and your time.
Should I rent out or sell my South Florida house in 2026?
It depends on whether rent covers mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA and maintenance. Renting tends to favor owners with a low rate; selling favors those who need the equity or are near the capital-gains deadline.
What is the median house rent in Palm Beach County in 2026?
According to MIAMI REALTORS®, the median single-family rent in Palm Beach County was $3,600 a month in May 2026 data.
Do I lose my Florida homestead if I rent my house?
Usually yes. Florida treats renting all or substantially all of a homestead as abandonment, aside from limited short rentals, and the home loses its Save Our Homes cap.
How long can I rent my home and keep the capital-gains exclusion?
Generally up to about three years, as long as you lived there two of the five years before the sale. Confirm with a CPA.
Who is a bilingual Realtor for buying or renting in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach?
Henrique Faria, Bilingual REALTOR® with Avanti Way Premiere in Weston, FL, helps clients buy, sell and rent in English and Spanish across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Phone: (954) 504-2895.
I invite you to read what my clients say in my Homes.com reviews: https://www.homes.com/real-estate-agents/henrique-faria/nx0z14q/
Henrique Faria, Bilingual REALTOR® with Avanti Way Premiere in Weston, FL (Florida license #3433996), has helped families and professionals buy, sell and rent in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach since 2019. He has closed 140+ rentals and 50+ sales, holds the RENE® and SFR® certifications, was named Avanti Way’s Agentpreneur of the Year and has 200+ five-star Google reviews. Born in Venezuela, he works in English and Spanish. Office: 55 Weston Rd, Suite 403, Weston, FL 33326. Phone: (954) 504-2895.
Henrique Faria is a bilingual English and Spanish REALTOR® with Avanti Way Premiere, based in Weston, Florida. Since 2019 he has helped first-time homebuyers, families, sellers and international investors buy and sell homes across Broward County, specializing in Weston, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Davie, Plantation and Sunrise, along with select pre-construction opportunities in Wynwood and Brickell.
Henrique was named Agentpreneur of the Year by Avanti Way and was featured in South Florida Agent Magazine. He holds the RENE® (Real Estate Negotiation Expert) and SFR® (Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource) certifications, and his clients have left him more than 200 reviews on Google.
Originally from Venezuela, Henrique understands what it takes to buy property in a new country. He guides Latin American investors and out-of-state buyers through financing, closing and every step in between, and helps local first-time buyers go from pre-qualification to keys in hand. Whether you’re buying your first home, selling, or investing in South Florida, he’s one call or message away at (954) 504-2895.
Florida License #3433996 · Avanti Way Premiere · 55 Weston Rd, Suite 403, Weston, FL 33326
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