FHA Loans in Fort Lauderdale, FL: Limits, Condos and Local Help

Short answer

An FHA loan in Fort Lauderdale lets you buy with 3.5% down and a 580+ credit score, up to a 2026 loan limit of $667,000 for a single-family home or condo in Broward County. With the city's median house at $762,500 in Q2 2026, FHA fits best for condos (median $483,263) and lower-priced houses, and only in buildings that are FHA-approved or qualify for single-unit approval. First-time buyers can also apply for the City of Fort Lauderdale's purchase assistance of up to $75,000.

Fort Lauderdale prices vs. the 2026 FHA limit

The FHA rules themselves (credit tiers, debt-to-income, MIP) are the same statewide and are in our Florida FHA requirements guide. What changes in Fort Lauderdale is how prices line up against the limit.

As of October 2026, HUD's 2026 FHA limits for Broward County (the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area) are $667,000 for one unit, $853,900 for a duplex, $1,032,150 for three units and $1,282,700 for four. The limit caps the loan, not the price.

• Most you can pay with the minimum 3.5% down: about $691,190 ($667,000 ÷ 0.965).
• City median house, $762,500 (Q2 2026, 429 sales): to keep the loan at $667,000 you would need $95,500 down, about 12.5%. At that point many buyers compare a 5%-down conventional loan; see FHA vs. conventional.
• City median condo or townhouse, $483,263 (473 sales): 3.5% down is about $16,914, for a base loan of about $466,349. Well inside the limit.
• Broward overall: median house $630,000 and condo $262,600, so FHA reaches much more of the county than of the city itself.

In practice, FHA buyers in Fort Lauderdale shop condos and townhouses, and houses in the western and northwestern neighborhoods, while 2-to-4 unit buildings let an owner-occupant use the higher multi-unit limits.

FHA condo approval: the real hurdle in Fort Lauderdale

More than half of Fort Lauderdale's condo and townhouse sales in Q2 2026 (268 of 473) were cash. In buildings that are not FHA-approved, an FHA buyer simply cannot compete, so the building's status matters as much as the price. Before you fall in love with a unit, check the building in HUD's FHA approved condominium lookup.

If the building is not approved, the unit may still qualify through single-unit approval, under HUD's condo rule in effect since October 15, 2019, as of October 2026:

• The project must be complete, have at least five units, and not be manufactured housing.
• In a project of 10 or more units, no more than 10% of the units can be FHA-insured; smaller projects are capped at two FHA units.
• The project must still pass owner-occupancy (generally at least 50% owner-occupied), financial condition and insurance tests.
• Commercial space generally cannot exceed 35% of the floor area.

Fully approved projects recertify every three years, and FHA insures no more than 50% of the units in an approved project, so an approval can lapse or fill up. Ask the association for the condo questionnaire, the latest milestone inspection and SIRS, and any open special assessment. We check these before you write an offer. Our non-warrantable condo guide covers the other options if FHA is not available in the building.

Down payment help for Fort Lauderdale FHA buyers

As of October 2026, these are the programs a Fort Lauderdale buyer should ask about. All depend on available funds.

• City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Purchase Assistance: up to $75,000 as a 15-year deferred loan for down payment, closing costs or principal reduction, for first-time buyers (no home owned in the past 3 years) buying a house, townhouse, condo or villa inside city limits. Mobile and manufactured homes are not eligible. The flyer's 2025 income limits are $64,550 for one person, $73,800 for two, $83,000 for three and $92,200 for four. Applications go through the nonprofit agencies listed on the flyer; the city housing office is at 954-828-6024.
• Broward County Homebuyer Purchase Assistance: the county's June 2026 flyer lists a $679,324 maximum price and funds city by city. Fort Lauderdale is not on that list, because the city runs its own program.
• Florida Hometown Heroes: for first-time, income-qualified buyers who work full time for a Florida employer in eligible fields. Up to 5% of the first mortgage, $10,000 minimum and $35,000 maximum, as a 0%, 30-year deferred second mortgage (not forgiven, due on sale or refinance). FHA first mortgages are eligible. See our Hometown Heroes page.
• QMS forgivable down payment grant: ask us whether your income and the property fit.

Layering rules differ by program, and each one has its own income and education requirements. We check them together so your FHA approval and the assistance close on the same day. For the full statewide list, see Florida down payment assistance programs.

Monthly cost of an FHA loan on a Fort Lauderdale condo

Using the $483,263 city median condo and 3.5% down, as of October 2026:

• Upfront MIP: 1.75% of the base loan, about $8,161, usually financed into the loan.
• Annual MIP: 0.55% for loans of $726,200 or less with under 5% down, about $2,565 a year (roughly $214 a month). See what MIP is.
• Property taxes: Broward's 2025 proposed operating millages for a Fort Lauderdale address add up to roughly 18 mills, about 1.8% of taxable value. Once you live there, file for the homestead exemption, which removes the first and the third $25,000 of assessed value; the Broward County Property Appraiser's timely filing window for 2027 runs through March 1, 2027.
• HOA dues and insurance: the condo fee covers the master policy; you add an HO-6 policy, and flood coverage where the lender requires it.

Principal and interest depend on the day's pricing; rates vary daily, so call for today's numbers. A quote that ignores MIP, HOA dues and taxes will understate your payment, so we build all of them into your pre-approval.

Getting FHA pre-approved for Fort Lauderdale with QMS

QMS Lending is an independent mortgage broker in Miami, FL, with 100+ lenders. FHA overlays (minimum score, condo policy, manual underwriting) vary by lender, so a broker can match your file to the one that fits. Our steps for a Fort Lauderdale FHA buyer:

• Pre-approval with your full payment, including MIP, taxes and HOA dues.
• A building check on the HUD list before you make an offer on a condo.
• An assistance check: city, Hometown Heroes or the QMS grant, and which ones can combine.
• A clean contract with an FHA financing contingency and enough time for the condo review.

Call 305-425-1990, in English or Spanish. Led by Michael Fernandez, NMLS #1491775; company NMLS #1781090; 4.9 stars across 200+ Google reviews. Subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.