TL;DR
- The core FHA loan Florida requirements in 2026: a 580 credit score with 3.5% down, an income and debt load a lender can verify, and a home under the county loan limit.
- With a 500 to 579 score you can still qualify, you just put 10% down, as of mid-2026.
- Broward’s FHA loan limit for a single-family home sits in the range of the mid-$500,000s, as of mid-2026, per the HUD table.
- FHA works on condos only when the building is approved. That is the number one thing that surprises Hollywood buyers.
- You can stack FHA with down payment help like Hometown Heroes. More on that below.
I’m Marlo. I grew up in Broward, and if I had a dollar for every buyer who told me “I could never qualify” before we ran the numbers, I could fund a few down payments myself. The truth is that the FHA loan Florida requirements are more forgiving than most people assume. Let’s walk through them, plainly, so you know where you stand today.
One quick note before we start. FHA is one path. If you want the full menu of buyer help in our area, start with my first-time home buyer programs page, then come back here for the FHA details.
What credit score do you need for an FHA loan in Florida?
This is the question I get most, so let’s clear it up first.
As of mid-2026, the FHA program itself allows two tiers, per FHA.com:
- 580 or higher: you qualify with the low 3.5% down payment.
- 500 to 579: you can still get approved, but you put 10% down.
Here’s the catch nobody tells you. FHA sets the floor, but individual lenders set their own, and most Florida lenders want to see something in the 580 to 620 range before they say yes. That is called a lender overlay.
So if your score is sitting at 560, you are not out. You have options: a bigger down payment, a lender who works with lower scores, or a few months of credit coaching. I know lenders who do that coaching for free.
What are the 2026 FHA loan limits in Broward County?
FHA will not lend on a home priced above the county limit, so this number matters.
Broward is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro, which carries a higher limit than rural Florida counties. As of mid-2026, the FHA limit for a single-family home in Broward sits in the range of the mid-$500,000s, and it climbs for two, three, and four-unit properties. HUD republishes the loan limits table every year, so confirm the exact current figure before you make an offer.
Why the multi-unit note matters: FHA lets you buy a two-to-four-unit building, live in one unit, and rent the others. Owner-occupant house hacking is one of the smartest moves a first-time buyer can make here, and the higher limits make it possible.
How much down payment do FHA loan Florida requirements ask for?
Less than most renters think.
The FHA loan Florida requirements set the down payment at 3.5% of the purchase price when your credit score is 580 or above, as of mid-2026. On a $400,000 home, that is $14,000. Compare that to the 20% so many buyers believe they need, which would be $80,000 on the same house.
Two things make it even lighter:
- Gift funds are allowed. A parent or family member can gift the down payment. The lender just needs a paper trail.
- Assistance can cover it. Down payment help programs can absorb much or all of the 3.5%. That is where FHA and buyer programs work together, which I cover further down.
One cost to plan for: mortgage insurance. FHA charges an upfront premium of 1.75% of the loan, which you can roll into the loan, plus an annual premium paid monthly, as of mid-2026. It protects the lender, not you, and it is the trade-off for the low down payment. The CFPB has a clear rundown if you want to go deeper.
Can you use an FHA loan on a Florida condo?
Yes, with one rule that catches a lot of people.
The building has to be FHA-approved, or your specific unit has to earn a single-unit approval. Many South Florida condo buildings are not on the approved list, often because of low owner-occupancy or reserve issues. This shows up constantly for buyers looking at Hollywood homes, where the market leans heavily toward condos near the beach.
Here is my rule: we check the building’s FHA status before you tour the unit, not after you have fallen in love with it. It takes me a few minutes and it saves weeks of heartbreak.
FHA loan Florida requirements: the full checklist
Beyond credit and down payment, an underwriter looks at the whole picture. Here is what the FHA loan Florida requirements actually cover.
- Steady income. Two years of work history the lender can verify. Gaps are fine if you can explain them.
- Debt-to-income ratio (DTI). FHA commonly allows a DTI up to around 43%, and sometimes higher with strong compensating factors like cash reserves, as of mid-2026 per CFPB guidance. DTI is your monthly debts divided by your gross monthly income.
- Primary residence. FHA is for homes you live in, not investment flips. The house-hack exception above still counts as living there.
- A property that passes. An FHA appraisal checks value and basic safety. Peeling paint, a bad roof, or no working systems can stall a deal until they are fixed.
- Mortgage insurance (MIP). Covered above. Budget for it from day one.
None of these are pass-or-fail traps. They are boxes we line up together before you write an offer, so there are no surprises at underwriting.
Can you stack FHA with down payment assistance?
This is the move most buyers miss, and it is the fun part.
FHA plays well with Florida’s assistance programs. You use FHA for the mortgage itself, then layer a program like Florida Hometown Heroes on top to cover the down payment and closing costs. Done right, a working buyer can get into a home with very little cash out of pocket.
The programs have their own rules, income caps, and funding rounds that sell out, so timing matters. That is exactly the kind of thing I track for my buyers so you do not miss a window.
Buyers think they can’t qualify when they often can. That gap is the whole reason I write these.
MarloFHA versus conventional loans in Florida
Short version. FHA shines when your credit is still climbing or your cash is tight. Conventional loans can be cheaper long-term once your score clears the mid-600s, because you can drop mortgage insurance later and FHA’s premium often sticks around.
There is no universal winner. It depends on your score, your savings, and how long you plan to stay. When you are ready, I run both scenarios side by side with a lender so you see the real monthly numbers, not a guess.
If you want a person in your corner who answers, here is how I work with buyers. No pressure, no jargon, just a straight read on where you stand.