State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
Vermont rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by county
What a rental in Vermont rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 14 counties. Read it before you price a deal here.
Vermont at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,783 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of Vermont's renters live, from $1,167 (Essex County) to $2,165 (Grand Isle County). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
1.59% of value a year
Homeowners in Vermont pay a median $5,039 a year on a median home value of $316,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$1,010 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in Vermont report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
3.0% rental vacancy
Share of Vermont's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 73,337 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment down 2.6% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 2.5% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
2,294 homes permitted in 2025
About 8.4 new homes per 1,000 households; 56% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
2,796 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in Vermont since 2005, $111.7 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in Vermont
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at Vermont's median value of $316,600, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($237,450 loan)
- $1,660
- Property taxes
- $419
- Insurance
- $84
- Full monthly payment
- $2,164
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $2,600 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of Vermont's renters live is $1,783 a month, below the $2,600 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each county.
Rules and costs a landlord faces in Vermont
Each line quotes the official source it comes from and the date it was last checked. These are general rules, not legal advice; local rules can add to them.
- How long before you can file to evict for unpaid rent?
14 calendar days' notice for unpaid rent before an eviction can be filed.
The landlord may terminate a tenancy for nonpayment of rent by providing actual notice to the tenant of the date on which the tenancy will terminate, which shall be at least 14 days after the date of the actual notice.
Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), checked October 19, 2026
- How fast must the deposit come back?
Within 14 days after the tenancy ends.
A landlord shall return the security deposit along with a written statement itemizing any deductions to a tenant within 14 days from the date on which the landlord discovers that the tenant vacated or abandoned the dwelling unit
Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), checked October 19, 2026
- Can rents be capped?
No state law on rent caps.
Vermont does not have rent stabilization or just cause eviction laws. I want to be extremely clear that the proposed charter change does not propose to allow the City of Burlington to establish rent stabilization or just cause eviction regulations by ordinance.
Vermont General Assembly (House Committee on Government Operations witness document), checked October 19, 2026
- What does the state charge to record a purchase?
State tax: 1.25 percent of the value of the property transferred.
A tax is hereby imposed upon the transfer by deed of title to property located in this State ... The amount of the tax equals 1.25 percent of the value of the property transferred, or $1.00, whichever is greater
Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), checked October 19, 2026
- Is a rental taxed like the owner's home?
A rental does not get the owner's homestead benefit.
If the property is not your primary residence, you cannot declare it as your homestead. Your bill will show only the nonhomestead rate.
Vermont Department of Taxes, checked October 19, 2026
Market hubs in Vermont
DSCRInfo does not publish a monthly market hub in Vermont yet. The figures above and the table below cover every county; the market hubs cover other states.
Vermont by county
All 14 counties, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that county's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden County | $2,165 | 1.51% | $900 | 1.3% | -2.4% | 1,026 | 179 | $3,520 |
| Washington County | $1,783 | 1.75% | $960 | 4.3% | -3.0% | 156 | 983 | $2,630 |
| Windsor County | $1,558 | 1.84% | $1,090 | 3.4% | -3.8% | 119 | 455 | $2,520 |
| Rutland County | $1,541 | 1.81% | $1,050 | 3.6% | -2.7% | 89 | 256 | $1,960 |
| Windham County | $1,605 | 1.81% | $1,200 | 2.6% | -1.9% | 120 | 247 | $2,390 |
| Franklin County | $2,165 | 1.41% | $970 | 4.8% | -2.6% | 209 | 70 | $2,460 |
| Bennington County | $1,503 | 1.64% | $1,160 | 5.9% | -2.6% | 56 | 89 | $2,340 |
| Lamoille County | $1,535 | 1.57% | $1,030 | 6.9% | -2.1% | 155 | 120 | $2,500 |
| Addison County | $1,636 | 1.58% | $1,080 | 3.4% | -3.3% | 165 | 70 | $2,950 |
| Caledonia County | $1,327 | 1.76% | $1,020 | 3.5% | +0.6% | 79 | 155 | $1,940 |
| Orleans County | $1,363 | 1.65% | $1,020 | 1.2% | -5.8% | 41 | 60 | $1,880 |
| Orange County | $1,581 | 1.66% | $1,070 | 2.1% | -2.6% | 46 | 63 | $2,260 |
| Essex County | $1,167 | 1.76% | $1,010 | 6.4% | -4.1% | 10 | 6 | $1,490 |
| Grand Isle County | $2,165 | 1.32% | $1,040 | 2.8% | -2.5% | 23 | 39 | $3,100 |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the county shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. Vermont total flood payments since 2005: $111.7 million.