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6 Best DSCR Lenders 2025: Rates, Terms & Requirements

Compare the best DSCR lenders with clear minimum DSCR, max LTV, rates, prepayment penalties, STR eligibility, & closing speed to pick the right fit.

Written By

Kendal James

Reviewed By:

Lauren McKinley

Aug 7, 2025

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The best debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) lenders stand out less for their rates and more for their reputation, reliability, and customer service. With more companies buying non-qualified mortgages (Non-QM) than ever, competition has driven loan terms and interest rates closer together across the board. Thus, what sets leaders in the industry apart now is how consistently and smoothly they can guide investors of all experience levels through their loan process.

Here’s a quick overview of the lenders included in this guide and the distinct circumstances where each excels:

Kiavi: Best for high volume investors
American Heritage Lending: Best for high LTV loans
RCN Capital: Best starting interest rates
Easy Street Capital: Best coverage area
Lima One Capital: Best for creative investors
OfferMarket: Best for investors in a hurry

At the heart of all the loan products detailed in this guide is the debt service coverage ratio (DSCR). The DSCR is to the rental property investor what the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is to traditional home buyers.

DSCR loans allow real estate investors to finance rental properties based on the cash flow of the properties themselves, without any consideration given to the investor’s ability to show personal income, or lack thereof — a feature I expect all self-employed real estate professionals can appreciate.

Best DSCR lenders at a glance
Kiavi: Best for high volume investors
American Heritage Lending: Best for high LTV loans
RCN Capital: Best starting interest rates
Easy Street Capital: Best coverage area
Lima One Capital: Best for creative investors
OfferMarket: Best for investors in a hurry
Methodology: How I chose the best DSCR lenders
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Best DSCR lenders at a glance

	Minimum DSCR considered	Max LTV	Interest rate	Instant Quotes Available
	1.1	80%	as low as 6.25%	Yes
Visit Kiavi
	0.75	85%	Doesn’t publish its rates	Yes
Visit American Heritage Lending
	1.0	80%	as low as 5.50%	No
Visit RCN Capital
	None	80%	as low as 5.75%	No
Visit Easy Street Capital
	1.0	80%	as low as 6.35%	Yes
Visit Lima One Capital
	1.0	80%	as low as 5.88%	Yes
Visit OfferMarket

Kiavi: Best for high volume investors


Pros	Cons
No application fees Concierge service for high volume investors Online portals make it easy to manage several loans at once	Multiple deals a year required to receive highest benefits Lending unavailable in New Mexico, Utah, Mississippi, Vermont, and Rhode Island
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	As low as 6.25%
Loan amount	$100,000 to $3 million
Minimum DSCR	1.1
Minimum credit score	660
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(80%, 80%, 80%)
Prepayment penalty options	No prepayment penalty after year 3
Amortization options	30-year fixed 7/1 ARM 5/1 ARM
Interest only available	Yes

Visit Kiavi

Why I like Kiavi

When you’re rapidly growing your rental portfolio, tracking multiple loan applications can become unnecessarily tedious. The ideal solution would be a single portal where you could log in and see the status of all your active loans, start new applications, and even submit documents as requested — which is the exact feature that Kiavi, the top lender in this guide offers.

Kiavi, whose name is based on the phonetic spelling of the Italian word for ‘key’, was originally founded in 2013 as LendingHome. Since rebranding in 2021, it has invested in technology aimed at streamlining and creating transparency in its DSCR loan process. Investors who do multiple deals a year will especially benefit from its centralized loan portal, streamlined underwriting, and lightning-fast time to close.

Standout features

Online portals: Kiavi enables investors to secure pre-qual letters 24/7, start new loan applications, manage documents, and track the status of all their loans with Kiavi from a single centralized portal.
Dedicated support: Each investor, regardless of experience level, is assigned a dedicated account manager providing you with a single point of contract from application to closing. Investors doing 30+ deals a year are also assigned dedicated loan analysts, underwriters, and draws analysts.

American Heritage Lending: Best for high LTV loans


Pros	Cons
Will go above 80% LTV in some cases Extended amortization periods available Will consider very low DSCR ratios Favorable reputation among loan originators	Doesn’t publish current loan terms on its website Lending unavailable in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nevada
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	Not disclosed
Loan amount	$75,000 to $2 million
Minimum DSCR	0.75
Minimum credit score	640
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(85%, 80%, 75%)
Prepayment penalty options	1, 2, 3, 4, & 5-year step-down penalties available 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5-year fixed penalties available No prepayment penalty options available
Amortization options	30-year fixed 40-year fixed with an interest-only period
Interest only available	Yes, for the first 10 years

Visit American Heritage Lending

Why I like American Heritage Lending

American Heritage Lending’s DSCR product stands out for its high loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 85% — making it the only DSCR lender on this list that advertises its willingness to loan above 80% LTV. On top of that, American Heritage Lending has been in business nearly twice as long as most of its competitors. In that time, it has built a reputation, particularly among loan originators, for competitive rates and dependability.

📌 Pro Tip

While it doesn’t technically provide a consumer-facing quote generator — a Google search for “American Heritage Quick Pricer” will reveal the next best thing, a broker pricing tool that I often use to take the temperature of the market. Hopefully, it won’t put the tool behind a login screen if we all start using it.

Standout features

85% LTV: For highly qualified buyers, American Heritage will go up to 85% loan-to-value on purchases — that extra 5% can be the deciding factor in today’s ultra-competitive real estate market.
40-year loans: American Heritage also offers 40-year fixed terms with a 10-year interest-only period up front.

RCN Capital: Best starting interest rates


Pros	Cons
Very competitive interest rates Many amortization options available No prepayment penalties on adjustable rate mortgages Positive reputation among loan originators	Highest minimum credit score Highest minimum loan amount Lending unavailable in Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	As low as 5.50%
Loan amount	$150,000 to $1.5 million
Minimum DSCR	1.0
Minimum credit score	680
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(80%, 80%, 75%)
Prepayment penalty options	These only apply to its 30-year fixed loan: 5-year step-down 3-year step-down
Amortization options	30-year fixed 5/1 ARM 7/1 ARM 10/1 ARM
Interest only available	Yes

Visit RCN Capital

Why I like RCN Capital

RCN Capital, launched in 2010, is another DSCR lender well known among loan originators. At 5.50%, its advertised base interest rate is the lowest in the space right now, which makes sense when you consider that it also has the highest minimum credit score and loan amount requirements. I think the message is clear enough: it’s targeting well-qualified investors — and is willing to offer top-tier rates to attract them.

Standout features

Highly competitive rates: At risk of sounding like a broken record here, RCN’s clear standout feature right now is its base interest rate at 5.50%.
10-year adjustable rate: RCN offers a 10/1 adjustable rate DSCR loan with no prepayment penalties, which is an attractive product considering the length of time most investors tend to hold rentals.

Easy Street Capital: Best coverage area


Pros	Cons
Effectively no minimum DSCR Transparent about additional fees on loans Largest coverage area of all lenders in this guide Use AirDNA to calculate income for short-term rentals	Must wait for someone to reach out when requesting pre-qual or quote Lending unavailable in North Dakota, and South Dakota
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	As low as 5.75%
Loan amount	$75,000 to $3.5 million
Minimum DSCR	None
Minimum credit score	640
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(80%, 80%, 75%)
Prepayment penalty options	5-year (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) 5-year (5, 5, 5, 5, 5) 3-year (3, 2, 1) 2-year (2, 1) No penalty
Amortization options	30-year fixed 30-year ARM
Interest only available	Yes, for the first 10 years

Visit Easy Street Capital

Why I like Easy Street Capital

Founded in 2016, Easy Street Capital has quickly made a name for itself as one of the nation’s leading lenders specializing in DSCR loans, with over $500 million funded across 1,500+ DSCR loans in the past two years. Its DSCR loan product — branded as “EasyRent” — is a 30-year product that covers cash-flowing properties up to 10 units in nearly all 50 states.

While it lags behind some of the other lenders on this guide in terms of consumer-facing technology, its rates and loan terms are as competitive as they come. Plus, it’s built a reputation on reliability.

Standout features

Direct lender: Easy Street Capital is a direct lender, meaning it lends its own capital rather than acting as an intermediary. In my experience, this increases certainty of execution, since everyone’s under the same roof.
Short-term rental friendly: Easy Street uses AirDNA data to underwrite and qualify short-term (STR) properties. This allows investors in vacation rental markets to maximize loan eligibility.

Lima One Capital: Best for creative investors


Pros	Cons
Use AirDNA to calculate DSCR for STRs May opt for no prepayment penalty Can close loans in under 10 days Specialized underwriting for niche strategies	Highest credit score required to get best LTVs Lending unavailable in Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	As low as 6.35%
Loan amount	$75,000 to $2.5 million
Minimum DSCR	1.0
Minimum credit score	660
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(80%, 75%, 75%)
Prepayment penalty options	7-year (5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1) 5-year (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) 3-year (3, 2, 1) 3-year (1, 1, 1) No penalty
Amortization options	30-year fixed 10/1 ARM 5/1 ARM
Interest only available	Yes, for the first 5 years on 30-year loan

Visit Lima One Capital

Why I like Lima One Capital

Lima One Capital does the best job of maintaining an up-to-date stable of DSCR loan products tailored to the most popular investment strategies of the day. Years ago, that meant products designed for the BRRR strategy; today, it takes the shape of products custom-built for short-term rentals. The availability of these specialty products, alongside its more traditional single-family rental loan, makes it a particularly attractive DSCR lender for investors who like to get creative with their investment strategies.

It should be noted that the loan terms referenced above are for its standard DSCR loan. The niche DSCR programs, like the short-term rental loan, have their own terms, which you can find on its website.

Standout features

STR specific product: Lima One has come up with a customized program that uses specialized underwriting backed by AirDNA and other sources, which results in stronger DSCR ratios, higher LTVs, and better terms.
Close loans quick: Lima One has been known to advertise its ability to close in 7 to 10 days. In reality, it’s probably not safe to assume it can regularly come through in under 3 weeks, but it tries harder than most.

OfferMarket: Best for investors in a hurry


Pros	Cons
Instant loan quote available with no credit pull Lowest loan minimum at $55,000 Very transparent about loan details on its website Often can close loans in 25 days or less	Haven’t been around long enough to build a reliable reputation Lending unavailable in Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming
DSCR Loan Rates & Terms
Interest rate	As low as 5.88%
Loan amount	$55,000 to $3 million
Minimum DSCR	1.0
Minimum credit score	680
Max LTV (purchase, refinance, cash-out)	(80%, 80%, 75%)
Prepayment penalty options	5-year (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) 4-year (4, 3, 2, 1) 3-year (3, 2, 1) 2-year (2, 1) 1-year (3) 1-year (1) No penalty
Amortization options	30-year fixed 10/6 ARM 7/6 ARM 5/6 ARM
Interest only available	Yes, 10-year interest only available on 30-year loan

Visit OfferMarket

Why I like OfferMarket

Launched in 2020, OfferMarket positions itself as a vertically integrated, tech-first platform tailored for real estate investors who want to move fast. By simply filling out a straightforward questionnaire on its website, you can get a DSCR loan quote in under 2 minutes with no credit pull and no waiting around for a salesman to call you. Its transparency of terms and commitment to simplifying processes make it ideal for busy investors, and it’s the lender I’m keeping my eyes on the most.

Standout features

Instant DSCR loan quotes: Go to the OfferMarket website, and you’ll immediately be offered a DSCR loan quote that “takes 1 minute” to receive and doesn’t pull credit. This is great for investors looking to run real numbers on a deal without subjecting themselves to sales calls for the next decade.
Loan term transparency: Even without requesting an instant quote, you can get all the information you need to complete an analysis from the OfferMarket website. It transparently posts percentages, ranges, and flat-fees for every cost associated with its loans. That’s something I actually wish more lenders would follow suit on.

Methodology: How I chose the best DSCR lenders

The following methodology was used to select and sort the DSCR lenders on this list in an effort to remove as much bias as possible while remaining useful to someone seeking guidance. Criteria are ordered by relative importance:

Reputation in industry: I began by selecting a group of lenders who are trusted and have proven themselves to be partners real estate professionals can rely upon to get deals closed.
Quick quotes: Rates and terms are changing constantly. That is why the best lenders make it simple to apply and receive up-to-date information regarding present loan terms.
Technology integration: More and more lenders are investing in centralized platforms that save investors time and bring much-needed transparency to the often opaque loan process. I believe this is a positive, and I showed preference to those who are leading this push.
Rate and terms: At the end of the day, we all want the best interest rate and loan structure we can get, given the present market conditions and our unique situation.
Availability: For the most part, all the lenders on this list provide some type of service nationwide; however, a few, like Easy Street Capital, do edge out the rest in terms of coverage area — and when all else was equal, they got a boost for it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The short answer is yes. OfferMarket, in particular, advertises that they’ll go as low as $55,000 — the caveat being the property needs to appraise for at least $100,000 still. However, in my experience, while it’s often not advertised, it’s typically not difficult to find a lender willing to make a case-by-case exception, especially if it means establishing a relationship with a client likely to close multiple loans a year. In these cases, I’d suggest reaching out to some local brokers with experience doing DSCR loans; they’ll be most likely to be able to efficiently connect you with the right local lender.

When you see something like (3, 2, 1) or “3-2-1” on a term sheet, that’s shorthand for how many years the prepayment penalty lasts and how much the penalty is each year. For example, a “3-2-1” means if you pay the loan off in year one, the penalty is 3% of the loan balance, in year two it’s 2%, and in year three it’s 1%. After that, there’s no penalty.

In some cases, you may see lenders simply use the term “step down.” That simply means that the penalty would decrease by 1% each year until there’s no more penalty. So a “5-year step down” means the same thing as the notation (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).

The most common reason is that lenders often use more conservative assumptions than investors do when running the math. They might “haircut” your rental income by a percentage, assume longer vacancies, or include expenses like management fees even if you self-manage. This is an especially prevalent issue for short-term rentals, which are often able to pull in more income each month than a standard long-term rental, but may be priced at prevailing long-term rental market rates by lenders who haven’t developed a specialized underwriting process for short-term rentals.

Kendal James

Kendal James is a tech-savvy entrepreneur and real estate broker with deep expertise in residential real estate investing and business operations. After completing his first live-in flip at 21, he left college to pursue real estate investing full-time. Frustrated by the lack of agents who understood his needs as an investor, Kendal earned his real estate license in 2015 and set out to remake the local brokerage landscape. Leveraging his programming skills and newfound access to the MLS, he quickly built a reputation as a distressed property acquisitions specialist. In 2019, Kendal launched his own real estate brokerage, offering a concierge acquisitions service powered by an investment property search engine he developed.

6 Best DSCR Lenders 2025: Rates, Terms & Requirements

Best DSCR lenders at a glance