Apartment Application Requirements: Credit, Income, 3x Rent

What South Florida landlords check when you apply: credit, the 3x-rent income rule, fees, deposits, and the fair housing rules that limit screening.

No law sets a minimum credit score to rent an apartment in Florida. Each landlord sets its own rules, and we found no published cutoff among the 410 South Florida buildings we researched in October 2026. What buildings do publish is an income rule: 18 of the 23 that state one ask for income of three times the rent.

This guide combines that research with federal and Florida law. Our files cover 410 purpose-built rental buildings in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, each owned by one company and leased through its own office, read on October 12 and 13, 2026. Screening rules belong to each landlord, so ask for the building's written criteria before you pay to apply. For the rest of the process, start with our complete guide to renting in South Florida.

What credit score do you need to rent an apartment?

There's no single number. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tenant screening reports often include a third-party credit score or parts of your credit file, and some add a risk score or a recommendation based on criteria the landlord chooses. The bureau's 2022 study of the screening industry called credit history an inherently limited predictor of whether someone will pay rent. One reason: rent payments appear in the credit files of only an estimated 1.7 to 2.3 percent of U.S. renters.

In practice, a weaker result often changes the terms rather than ending the application. Examples from our research:

• Hollywood East in Hollywood asks a deposit of one month's rent with approved credit, or two months when approval is conditional.
• Portico Apartments in Sunrise sets its security deposit between $1,000 and $5,000 depending on screening. The Park at Kendall and Palmetto Station start at $500, which may rise after screening.
• Camden Brickell, Amaray Las Olas by Windsor and Allure by Windsor take no security deposit with approved credit, and Cortland South Kendall offers a $0 deposit through Jetty, depending on credit.
• The Upland in Hialeah tied its first-month-free special to approved credit.

If your file is thin, look for buildings that report rent payments to the credit bureaus. In our research, Adela at MiMo Bay in the Upper Eastside lists a rent-reporting program, and Marina Del Sol in Sunny Isles Beach lists rent reporting through RentPlus.

What does 3x the rent mean?

It means your monthly income should be at least three times the monthly rent. Of the 23 buildings in our research that state an income rule, 18 ask for three times and five ask for less:

Here is what the rule means at typical South Florida rents. The rents are median starting base rents in purpose-built buildings as of October 2026, before required monthly fees, from our average rent guide:

Before you apply, ask three things: whether the rule counts gross or take-home pay, whether it's measured against base rent or the total monthly price with fees, and how it treats roommates' combined income. Required monthly fees added a median of about $71 at the 39 buildings in our research that publish both prices, so the answer can move the line. Our affordability calculator runs the numbers for any rent.

How do income-restricted apartments screen applicants?

They check income at both ends: enough to pay the rent, and not more than the program's limit. In our research, 90 buildings have income limits on some or all apartments. Brisas del Este Apartments in Allapattah rents at 60 and 80 percent of area median income and asks for income of 2.5 times the tenant's share of the rent. Paseo del Rio in Little Havana uses the same tiers with a 2.75 times rule. Sophia Square Apartments in Homestead has Live Local units for households at 80 to 120 percent of median income, with income recertified every year. Our guide to income-restricted, workforce and Live Local apartments explains how the limits work.

What else do landlords check on a rental application?

The CFPB lists what a tenant screening report can contain: credit reports, rental history including eviction actions and lawsuits, employment verification, criminal history, sex offender registries and the national terrorist watchlist. The Federal Trade Commission says screening companies generally can't report negative information older than seven years, but bankruptcies can be reported for 10 years and criminal convictions have no time limit.

Errors happen. The CFPB's report cites a study of 3.6 million eviction court records that found 22 percent of state eviction cases were ambiguous or false records, so it's worth knowing what your own record says before you apply. Some buildings add their own steps: at Arte Grand Central in Overtown, every applicant completes a pet screening profile, and the FAQ at Bella Vista in Lauderdale Lakes says background results are subject to review by a homeowners association.

What documents do you need to apply for an apartment?

Have these ready before you tour. Several buildings in our research tie specials or fee waivers to applying within 24 to 72 hours of a tour.

• A government-issued photo ID for every adult who will sign the lease.
• Proof of income: recent pay stubs or an offer letter, or bank statements and tax returns if you're self-employed.
• Names and contact details for your current and past landlords.
• Pet records, such as vaccinations and a screening profile, if the building uses one.
• Money for the application fee, any application deposit or holding fee, and the security deposit.
• Proof of renters insurance, if the lease requires it.
• A copy of the building's written screening criteria, including its income rule.
• Moving soon? Our first apartment checklist covers the rest.

How much does it cost to apply for an apartment?

In our research, 75 buildings list an application fee, from $50 to $150 per applicant, and 52 of them charge $125 or $150. Windsor-managed communities charge $50 per applicant, and seven of them also take a $400 application deposit. It's refundable at Windsor Pembroke Gardens and Mirador at Doral by Windsor, for example, and applied to the first month at Amaray Las Olas. Brisas del Este and Paseo del Rio charge $85 per adult plus a $250 application deposit. Fifty buildings also list an administrative fee, usually $300 or $350.

Some buildings take a holding fee to keep a unit off the market while they process your application: $500 at The Park at Kendall and Palmetto Station, applied to the deposit, and $600 at Atlantico at Alton in Palm Beach Gardens. Fees are often waived for quick decisions. Amelia Apartments in Kendall and Palm Beach Preserve waived application and admin fees for applying or leasing within 48 hours of a tour, and 6600 Main in Miami Lakes waived application fees within 72 hours.

These rules are set by the state, not by cities or counties. Since 2023, section 83.425 of the Florida Statutes has preempted local regulation of tenant screening, rental applications and application fees. Our move-in cost calculator adds up fees and deposits for any rent.

Can you skip the security deposit?

Sometimes. Section 83.491 lets a landlord offer a monthly fee in place of a deposit, but the landlord doesn't have to offer one and can't make you take it. If the option is offered, your choice can't be used to approve or deny your application, and you can switch to paying the deposit at any time. The fee may be nonrefundable. It doesn't reduce what you owe for rent or damage, and if the landlord uses it to buy insurance, that policy doesn't cover you.

In our research, Maizon Brickell and The Aubrey at Seaside in Lantana offer deposit waivers for $22 to $49 a month, The District at Flagler Village offers the Obligo deposit-free option, and Navette on the Bay in the Upper Eastside lists a deposit alternative program. If you pay a deposit, section 83.49 sets how it's held and returned; see our guide to Florida security deposit law.

What can't a landlord hold against your application?

Screening criteria must be applied the same way to everyone. The federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604, bars housing discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin or disability, and Florida's Fair Housing Act, section 760.23, covers the same groups. Under section 760.27, once a landlord approves an emotional support animal as a reasonable accommodation, it can't charge extra for it, and it may ask for reliable information when the disability or the need for the animal isn't obvious.

Miami-Dade County's Human Rights Ordinance, Chapter 11A of the county code, adds more protected classes in housing, among them age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and source of income. The county's Commission on Human Rights takes housing complaints against providers that own and rent more than three units, filed within 365 days. Broward County's Human Rights Act also lists lawful source of income among its protected classes. Section 83.425, the 2023 state preemption law, covers the screening process; both counties still list source of income as protected on their current human-rights materials, so if you think it was held against you, contact the county office.

What happens if your application is denied?

If a landlord turns you down because of a screening or credit report, federal law requires it to tell you so, name the company that made the report, and explain your right to dispute it and to get a free copy if you ask within 60 days. The FTC says screening companies must investigate a dispute within 30 days. Servicemembers have an extra protection: under section 83.683, a landlord that requires an application must approve or deny it in writing within seven days, with the reason for any denial, or lease the unit if the other terms are met.

Criteria differ from building to building. Income rules in our research run from 2.25 to 3 times the rent, several buildings tie the deposit amount to the screening result, and a few waive the deposit for approved credit. Ask the leasing office whether a larger deposit would change the decision before you apply somewhere else.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent an apartment with a 600 credit score?

Possibly. Florida has no legal minimum, and we found no published cutoff among the 410 buildings we researched. Expect conditions instead: Hollywood East asks two months' deposit instead of one when approval is conditional, and Portico Apartments sets deposits from $1,000 to $5,000 by screening result.

Do any Miami-area apartments accept less than 3x the rent?

Yes. In our research, 1818 Park and Sea View at Dania ask for 2.5 times the rent, Advenir at Lighthouse Point 2.25 times, and the income-restricted Brisas del Este 2.5 times the tenant's share. Eighteen of the 23 buildings that state a rule ask for three times.

Is the application fee refundable?

Ask before you pay. Amaray Las Olas, for example, calls its $50 application fee non-refundable. Application deposits work differently: the $400 deposit at several Windsor communities is refundable or credited toward rent. Get the answer in writing.

How long does an apartment application take in Florida?

It varies by building. For servicemembers, section 83.683 requires a written decision within seven days of submitting the application. Several buildings in our research reward applying within 24 to 72 hours of a tour with credits or waived fees.

Can a Miami landlord refuse a housing voucher?

Miami-Dade's Human Rights Ordinance lists source of income as a protected class in housing, and Broward's Human Rights Act lists lawful source of income. Complaints in Miami-Dade go to the Commission on Human Rights within 365 days of the incident.