Long-Term Rentals · Market playbook

Buying Rental Properties in Tampa, FL

Buying rentals in Tampa is a 6.22% gross yield play at a $377k median entry — $1,951/mo rent gross before expenses. The math has to clear before the property does.

DATA · Zillow Research (via scrape.do) · AS OF APRIL 2026

Workable 67/100

Tampa is a workable straight-rental market — neither bonanza nor minefield.

TL;DR — data signals

→ Gross yield 6.22% — above national baseline
→ Rent $1,951/mo vs. national $1,930 — rent-normal
→ Cash flow expectation at 25% down / 7.5%: $50-200/door tight positive
→ Appreciation: softening, cash flow must carry the deal

Long-term rentals in Tampa sit at the intersection of two numbers: typical home value $376,530 and median rent $1,951/mo. That's a 6.22% gross yield — well above the national 4-5% baseline. Cash flow does most of the heavy lifting here, with appreciation as a bonus.

Run the cash-flow math. Assume 20-25% down on a 30-year conventional rental loan at 7.5%, plus taxes + insurance + 8% property management + 8% vacancy/maintenance reserve + 8% capex reserve. At those inputs you'll likely clear $50-200/door — tight cash flow with appreciation expected to do the rest of the work. Underwrite conservatively.

Rent demand context: Tampa rents ($1,951) are within 10% of the national median. Neither a rent tailwind nor headwind; the deal lives or dies on acquisition.

Appreciation thesis: Tampa home values are -3.1% YoY. That's a softening market. Cash flow has to do all the work; don't underwrite expecting price growth to bail out a marginal deal.

Net: Tampa is a workable rental market with tight margins — disciplined underwriting and operational excellence are the difference between profit and break-even.

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Tampa at a glance