DSCR ≥ 1.00
Break-even is the floor. At 1.00, rent equals debt service. Below 0.75, almost no cash-out program will touch the file. Above 1.25, pricing sharpens noticeably.
The DSCR Desk · No. 01
Run the numbers on your rental refi,
before the lender does.
A live DSCR cash-out underwriter for investor real estate — short-term, long-term, and mid-term rentals, underwritten instantly against ten nationwide programs. Built for decisions, not for leads.
§ 01 · The Desk
The underwriting desk.
Plug in the deal. See DSCR, LTV, PITIA, and exactly which nationwide programs will close it.
Deal inputs
Panel A
Rental strategy
Affects which lender programs match.
Property type
5+ unit multifamily routes to different programs.
A1
Property
$
$
$
A2
New Loan
$
%
yrs
Quick LTV
A3
Income
$
A4
Monthly Expenses
$
$
$
$
DSCR lenders underwrite debt service against PITIA (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA). Operating expenses affect your net cash-flow view but do not factor into the DSCR a lender will quote.
Underwriting readout
LiveDSCR
—
—
LTV
—
—
Monthly P&I
—
on new loan
Cash to you
—
—
Monthly ledger per month
| Gross rental revenue | — |
| Principal & interest | — |
| Property taxes | — |
| Insurance | — |
| HOA | — |
| Subtotal · PITIA | — |
| Operating expenses | — |
| Net monthly cash flow | — |
Cash-out math
New loan amount—
Existing mortgage payoff—
Estimated closing ≈ 2.5%—
Net cash to borrower—
Equity remaining after refi—
§ 02 · The Board
Lender qualification matrix.
Ten nationwide DSCR programs, evaluated live against your deal. Guidelines are 2026 published minimums.
Each program is checked against DSCR, LTV, FICO, loan size, rental strategy, and property type. Marginal means you're tight against one guideline floor; Fails means you miss it outright.
| Lender | Min DSCR | Max LTV | Min FICO | Min Loan | Notes | Status |
|---|
* Strategy-specific floor applied (e.g., Lima One STR cash-out: 1.30 DSCR / 70% LTV / 700 FICO). † Floor inferred from industry norms — lender does not publicly disclose this number. Verified 2026-04-24
The lender that says yes isn't the one with the best ad. It's the one whose guideline grid actually fits your deal.Ratio methodology · 2026
§ 03 · First Principles
Four numbers decide it.
Memorize these. Every other calculation on the page derives from them.
LTV ≤ 75%
75% is the ceiling. Standard cash-out cap on 1-unit rentals. 80% is technically available but only with DSCR > 1.0 and FICO 700+, and it costs you in rate.
FICO 700+
700 is the sweet spot. 680 is a common floor; 640 opens the door at Easy Street and Defy at a rate cost. Below 620, DSCR is generally off-limits.
Reserves 3–6 mo
Liquidity after close. Three to six months of PITIA in reserves at closing. It's the condition most investors miss — and every lender verifies it.