What Are Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) Loans?

DSCR Definition 

A debt service coverage ratio loan or DSCR is a long-term real estate investment loan. This is different from other real estate investment loans, in that the primary way of qualifying is how much income the property generates on a monthly basis. Typically, the income generated from the property must be at least equal to or even greater than the expected monthly payment. For example, if a single-family home in Tempe, AZ is generating a rent of $2,500 a month, you could qualify for a loan that has a monthly payment of $2,500. 

Important Things to Note

Each lender will differ slightly in their specific qualifications for a DSCR loan.

A common example is some lenders will require a specific DSCR ratio on their loans.

• What is a DSCR ratio?
  • A DSCR ratio is the income generated by the property divided by the expected monthly payment of the loan. Using our Tempe, AZ example. A DSCR ration requirement of 1.0 means the property has to generate at least the monthly payment, or $2,500. If the lender has a requirement of a DSCR ratio of 1.2X, then we would multiply 1.2 by the expected loan payment. In this scenario, our Tempe property would have to generate $3,000 in income to qualify for a $2,500 monthly loan payment.