Sell Your Commercial Property In Fort Lauderdale, FL

Who rents in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale had an estimated 185,604 residents in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey, living in 80,999 occupied homes. Renters held 37,158 of them, 45.9%, compared with 36.4% across Broward County. Median household income in the city was $83,130, above the county's $77,633. The city holds about 13.5% of Broward's 274,613 renter households with about 9.4% of its residents, so it carries more than its share of the county's rental demand.

The ACS counts 101,691 housing units in the city but only 80,999 occupied as primary homes. The gap of 20,692 units, about 20.3%, includes seasonal and second homes as well as units for sale or rent, a reminder that part of the city's stock does not house year-round residents. Buyers will ask how much of a building's rent roll is annual.

Two employers stand out. Port Everglades reports more than $48.3 billion in annual economic activity for fiscal 2025 across its cruise, cargo and petroleum business. Broward Health Medical Center, on South Andrews Avenue, is the city's largest hospital, with 606 beds, a Level I trauma center and more than 85 years of service in the city.

Rents and affordability

Median gross rent in Fort Lauderdale was $1,854 over 2020–2024, a little below the county's $1,907. Some 55.6% of renter households pay at least 30% of income for housing, and 28.3%, about 10,500 households, pay half or more. The county's 30%-plus share is higher, at 61.9%, so the city's renters are, on average, somewhat less stretched than Broward's.

HUD's fair market rents for the Fort Lauderdale HMFA, which cover all of Broward County, run above the city's median rent for one-bedroom and larger units:

Source: HUD FY2026 FMR schedule. FY2027 figures took effect October 1, 2026. The one-bedroom FMR of $1,900 is already above the city's median rent, so voucher payment standards rarely cap rents in older buildings.

The apartment stock

According to ACS table B25024, 49,890 of Fort Lauderdale's housing units, 49.1%, are in buildings of five or more units, against 41.4% countywide. Large buildings dominate: 28,823 units sit in buildings of 50 or more, compared with 9,450 in 20–49 unit buildings, 6,066 in 10–19 unit buildings and 5,551 in 5–9 unit buildings. Two-to-four unit buildings add 10,890 units, and detached houses are only 34.0% of the stock.

The stock is old. Per table B25034, the median year built is 1973, against 1980 for the county. Some 65.1% of units predate 1980, with the 1960s and 1970s together accounting for 41.4%. Only 2,620 units, 2.6%, were built in 2020 or later, though the 2010s added 10,641. Owners in Victoria Park, Flagler Village, Rio Vista and Wilton Manors sell into this mix of old and new, and buyers will price roof age, plumbing and electrical systems and insurance cost building by building.

Property taxes in Broward County

The Broward County Property Appraiser assesses each parcel at just value as of January 1. Buildings of 10 or more units fall under s. 193.1555, which caps annual increases in assessed value at 10% for non-school levies; 2–9 unit buildings get the same cap under s. 193.1554. School levies apply to full just value, and both caps reset after a sale, so a buyer's tax bill is based on the purchase price.

The Property Appraiser's millage table lists three tax district codes in Fort Lauderdale for 2025, with totals of 18.4464, 18.5714 and 19.4143 mills, each slightly below 2024. Nearby Wilton Manors was 20.4896 and unincorporated Broward 17.8923 to 19.0509. At 18.4464 mills, a $3 million building would owe about $55,300 a year on a reset assessment. Appeals go to the Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of the TRIM notice under s. 194.011. Deeds carry documentary stamp tax of 70 cents per $100 under s. 201.02.

Landlord rules

Fort Lauderdale cannot cap rents: s. 166.043 and s. 125.0103 bar local rent controls, and s. 83.425 preempts local tenancy rules. Deposits are uncapped but must be returned within 15 days or claimed in writing within 30 under s. 83.49. Nonpayment notices give three days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, under s. 83.56, and month-to-month tenancies end on 30 days' notice under s. 83.57. Leases of six months or less are taxable as transient rentals, per the Department of Revenue, while longer written leases are exempt.

What this means if you own a building here

Fort Lauderdale sellers have a deep renter pool and a city built around multifamily housing. Buyers will focus on building age, coastal insurance, the reset tax bill and how much of the rent roll is year-round. Our cap rate calculator shows how those costs move value. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors, listed or off-market, in any condition; our seller page explains how we underwrite.