Can an Airbnb Qualify for a DSCR Loan Using AirDNA?
Yes. Multiple Get Brick Capital capital partners can qualify a short-term rental using projected revenue from AirDNA rather than requiring the borrower to prove personal income. This is especially useful when you are buying an Airbnb that does not yet have a full operating history under your ownership.
Current high-level STR rule:
Qualifying short-term rental purchases can reach up to 80% LTV with a minimum advertised FICO of 680. AirDNA is accepted by multiple capital partners, and Programs 2, 4, and 5 do not require prior STR experience.
How AirDNA Fits Into the DSCR Calculation
For a traditional long-term rental, DSCR often uses lease income or appraiser market rent depending on the selected program. Short-term rentals are different because revenue fluctuates by season and occupancy. AirDNA provides market-based estimates using comparable STR performance. An eligible capital partner can use an accepted revenue figure from that analysis as part of the income side of the DSCR calculation.
Conceptually:
Projected qualifying rental income ÷ monthly PITIA = DSCR. The exact treatment of STR revenue varies by program, so the scenario still has to be matched to the correct wholesale capital partner.
Can Actual Airbnb or VRBO History Be Used Instead?
Often, yes. When a property already has operating history, actual Airbnb or VRBO performance can generally be used in lieu of AirDNA when the selected capital partner accepts it. Program 5 purchases are the important exception: that program applies a different qualification rule, so actual history should not automatically be treated as a substitute.
What Else Does the Property Need to Qualify?
- A market where short-term rental use is legally permitted or supportable.
- An appraisal that supports the value and marketability of the property.
- Enough projected or accepted historical revenue to support the payment under the selected program.
- Credit that meets the selected capital partner's threshold.
- A property type that fits that partner's STR guidelines.
Do You Need Airbnb Experience?
Not on Programs 2, 4, and 5. Those programs can support first-time STR investors, subject to the rest of the file meeting the applicable requirements. That is different from saying every STR capital partner has no experience requirement.
AirDNA Does Not Override Local STR Rules
A strong AirDNA revenue projection does not solve a local zoning, licensing, HOA, or condominium restriction. Before relying on short-term-rental income, confirm whether the intended use is legally permitted and supportable for the property.
Check an Airbnb Scenario
Send the property address and expected deal terms. We can tell you which STR options fit before any credit pull.
Get a Quote →When a Long-Term Rent Estimate May Be Better
If the short-term-rental income does not support the requested structure, the property may still work as a traditional rental. In some cases it makes sense to compare the STR option with a long-term rental DSCR purchase using the applicable market-rent method. The better path depends on how you intend to operate the property and which accepted income method supports the loan.