AirDNA Qualification · No Operating History Required · All 50 States

DSCR Loans for Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Investors

Short-term rentals earn 2–3x conventional rent. Most lenders still qualify you on the lower number. We don't. We accept AirDNA income projections — no tax returns, no W2s, no operating history required. Pre-approval in minutes.

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2–3x

STR vs LTR income

AirDNA

Accepted

No history

Required

Minutes

Pre-approval

LLC OK

Close in entity

Why Most Lenders Get STR Loans Wrong

Your Airbnb earns $4,800/month. Most lenders qualify you on $1,600.

This is the core problem with getting a mortgage on a short-term rental. Most conventional lenders — and even most DSCR lenders — default to the appraiser's long-term market rent when underwriting your property. For a beach house or mountain cabin that earns $4,800/month on Airbnb, the long-term market rent might be $1,600. That's the number they use. That's why deals that should work easily get denied or come back with much lower loan amounts than they deserve.

The right approach: qualify on what the property actually earns as an STR

We accept AirDNA income projections for short-term rental DSCR loans. AirDNA aggregates real Airbnb and VRBO booking data — actual nightly rates, occupancy rates, and seasonal patterns — for comparable properties in your specific market. That income figure reflects what your property can realistically earn as an Airbnb, not what it would earn with a long-term tenant paying below-market rent. For most STR investors in vacation markets, this produces a DSCR ratio that is substantially stronger than the long-term rent method — often making the difference between approval and denial.

How STR Income Is Calculated

Three ways lenders qualify short-term rental income. Only two are right.

BEST METHOD

12-month actual STR income

If your property has been operating as an Airbnb for 12+ months, we use your actual gross rental receipts from your Airbnb/VRBO host dashboard or bank statements. Lender applies a 10–15% vacancy factor and uses the net figure as qualifying income. This is the strongest method — real data beats projections every time. Only available on refinance or existing STR properties.

STANDARD METHOD

AirDNA market projections

For purchases or properties without 12 months of history, we use AirDNA's Rentalizer report — the industry standard for STR income projections. AirDNA pulls real booking data from comparable listings in your market, filtered by unit type, bedroom count, and property tier, to produce a market-derived income estimate. We apply 80% of the projected figure as a conservative qualifier. This is the standard purchase-side method and works for new acquisitions with no operating history.

WRONG METHOD — AVOID

Long-term rent comparables

This is what most general DSCR lenders default to — using Form 1007 long-term market rent from the appraiser. For vacation properties and dedicated STR markets, this severely understates actual income, often by 50–70%. If your lender is using long-term rent to qualify a Poconos cabin or Florida beach house, you're working with the wrong lender. Insist on AirDNA-based qualification for any property in a vacation or STR market.

Real Numbers

What the difference looks like on a real STR deal.

Here's why choosing a lender that accepts AirDNA qualification isn't just a preference — it directly determines your loan amount and whether the deal works at all.

Poconos cabin — wrong method (long-term rent)

Purchase price: $420,000
Loan (75% LTV): $315,000
Monthly PITIA at 7.0%: $2,560
Long-term rent (appraiser): $1,800/mo
DSCR: 0.70 — DENIED

Using long-term rent, this deal doesn't come close to qualifying. The cabin sits on the market unsold or the investor pays all cash.

Same cabin — right method (AirDNA)

Purchase price: $420,000
Loan (75% LTV): $315,000
Monthly PITIA at 7.0%: $2,560
AirDNA projection (80%): $3,200/mo
DSCR: 1.25 — APPROVED

Same property, same loan, same lender terms. The only difference is using the right income figure. This is why STR lender selection matters enormously.

Top STR Markets We Finance

Every major vacation rental market in the country.

We finance short-term rental properties in every active vacation market nationwide. Here are the markets with the strongest AirDNA data and STR income potential.

NORTHEAST

Poconos, PA

60–90 min from NJ/NYC. Year-round ski + lake demand.

NORTHEAST

Catskills / Hudson Valley, NY

NYC weekend escape. $50K–$100K+ annual STR income.

NORTHEAST

Finger Lakes, NY

Wine country STR. Waterfront premium properties.

SOUTHEAST

Orlando / Disney Corridor, FL

Tourism-driven STR. AirDNA income far exceeds LTR.

SOUTHEAST

Miami Beach, FL

International luxury STR. High nightly rates year-round.

SOUTHEAST

Florida Keys

Island vacation rentals. Premium occupancy and rates.

SOUTHEAST

Smoky Mountains, TN

One of the top STR markets in the US. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge.

SOUTH/CENTRAL

Texas Hill Country

Fredericksburg, Wimberley. Texas wine country weekend demand.

SOUTH/CENTRAL

Austin, TX

SXSW, F1, live music. Strong year-round urban STR market.

SOUTH/CENTRAL

Gulf Coast (Destin, PCB)

Emerald Coast vacation rentals. Peak summer + shoulder seasons.

WEST

Colorado Mountain Towns

Breckenridge, Steamboat, Telluride. Ski season + summer hiking.

WEST

Arizona / Scottsdale

Desert resort market. Strong winter occupancy from northern states.

STR DSCR Loan Requirements

What you need to qualify.

✓Credit score 620+ (680+ for best pricing)
✓20–25% down payment on purchases
✓DSCR of 1.0 or above based on AirDNA income
✓3–6 months PITIA in liquid reserves post-closing
✓Investment property only — no primary residences
✓No tax returns or W2s required
✓No personal debt-to-income calculation
✓No operating history required for purchases
✓Close in your LLC — no personal guarantee on most programs
✓No limit on number of STR properties financed
✓Loan amounts from $75,000 to $25M
✓All 50 states

STR permit verification is required

Most DSCR programs require the property to be legally permitted for short-term rental operation in its jurisdiction. Verify your property's STR permit status with the local municipality before applying. NYC Local Law 18, Austin STR permitting restrictions, and various HOA rules can affect eligibility. We check this early in the process so there are no surprises at closing.

Don't overstate AirDNA projections

One of the most common reasons STR DSCR loans get denied is using raw AirDNA market averages without property-specific adjustments. AirDNA doesn't account for condition, finishes, or guest appeal of the specific property. If your deal requires a perfect AirDNA number to barely qualify, it's fragile. Build in a conservative buffer — we structure deals to close, not to barely squeak through underwriting.

Advanced STR Strategy

The AirBnBRRRR: combining BRRRR with short-term rental.

The BRRRR strategy — Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat — has been one of the most powerful portfolio-building methods in real estate for years. A newer iteration combines it specifically with short-term rentals, producing what investors call the “AirBnBRRRR.”

Here's how it works: acquire a property that needs renovation using a fix-and-flip loan or bridge loan (fast, asset-based, no income docs). Rehab it to vacation rental quality — better finishes, better photography, better guest experience. List it on Airbnb. Once it's generating income, refinance into a long-term DSCR loan using either 12 months of actual STR income or AirDNA projections to qualify.

The key advantage over standard BRRRR is that STR income is substantially higher than long-term rental income for vacation-oriented properties. That higher income produces a stronger DSCR ratio on the refinance, which often supports a higher loan amount — allowing you to pull out more equity to fund the next acquisition. The cycle compounds faster because the income base is larger.

We offer both the fix-and-flip acquisition loan and the DSCR refinance — handling the full AirBnBRRRR cycle from purchase through stabilization and refinance. Many STR investors prefer working with a single lender who understands both phases.

DSCR Cash-Out Refinance for Existing STRs

If you already own a short-term rental that's generating strong Airbnb income, a DSCR cash-out refinance allows you to access the equity you've built — using your STR income to qualify rather than personal tax returns. Up to 75% LTV on cash-out refinances. Use the proceeds to fund your next STR acquisition, cover renovations on an existing property, or consolidate other debt. No tax returns required, no W2s, no personal DTI calculation.

STR Portfolio Loans

If you own multiple short-term rental properties, a portfolio blanket loan consolidates them under one note with one monthly payment. Each property still qualifies on its own STR DSCR, but the portfolio structure reduces closing events and simplifies debt management as you scale. We offer STR portfolio loans for investors with 5 or more properties, with loan amounts from $500,000 to $25 million.

The Process

From application to closed in 14–21 days.

Apply — 60 seconds

Submit your property address, purchase price, and basic deal info. No hard credit pull, no commitment.

Term sheet in 24 hours

We pull AirDNA data for your market, run the DSCR, and send you a written term sheet with rate, leverage, and structure.

Appraisal — day 7–14

Full appraisal ordered. For STR loans, some programs also order a separate rental market analysis confirming AirDNA comp set.

Underwriting — day 14–21

DSCR verified, entity docs reviewed if buying in LLC, title and insurance confirmed.

Close and fund

Title, closing docs, funding. Most STR DSCR loans close in 14–21 days. Bridge and fix-and-flip loans can close in 7 days.

STR Investor FAQ

Common questions from short-term rental investors.

No — we accept AirDNA market projections for new acquisitions with no operating history. AirDNA analyzes comparable STR listings in your specific market to produce a projected income estimate. This allows first-time STR investors and investors buying new properties to qualify without any rental history. If you have 12+ months of actual Airbnb income, we can use that instead — whichever produces the stronger DSCR.

Ready to finance your STR?

Pre-approved in minutes. AirDNA qualification. No tax returns.

Tell us about your Airbnb or vacation rental property. We'll pull the AirDNA data and send you a written term sheet within 24 hours — no hard credit pull, no commitment, no fee.

Get my rate in 60 seconds →Call (908) 220-6404