A vacation rental can earn $8,000 in one month and considerably less in the next, which makes its financing harder to judge from a standard monthly lease model. Seasonality, local demand, occupancy, cleaning costs, and nightly pricing all influence the revenue a property can realistically produce. DSCR loans give Airbnb and other short-term rental owners another route because underwriting can place more weight on the property than on the borrower’s salary. The difficult part is establishing which rental figure deserves to be used when income changes throughout the year. A lender’s treatment of projected revenue can therefore matter almost as much as its rate or maximum leverage.

There is no single underwriting method across the STR lending market. An established Airbnb may have twelve months of booking records, while a newly purchased vacation home may need to rely on an appraisal or third-party market data instead. That difference shaped the seven-company selection below, with each lender bringing something distinct to the table. The group includes:

• Newfi Lending: Property-level DSCR analysis combined with financing for qualifying short-term rentals;
• Visio Lending: Vacation-rental lending backed by a long-standing focus on investment properties;
• Easy Street Capital: Short-term rental underwriting that can incorporate AirDNA projections;
• Lima One Capital: A separate vacation-rental program rather than one generic rental loan;
• A&D Mortgage: DSCR financing across a relatively broad mix of borrower profiles and property types;
• Griffin Funding: Several methods for supporting Airbnb income depending on the transaction;
• Park Place Finance: Quick online pricing for investors who want to screen an STR deal early.

Those differences become more important once the property has an address, realistic revenue assumptions, and a defined holding strategy.

1. Newfi Lending

Useful Before the Property Even Has Bookings

Newfi Lending is a Non-QM mortgage lender whose DSCR program extends to qualifying short-term rental investments.

An investor does not necessarily arrive at Newfi with a fully stabilized Airbnb and a year of operating statements. Depending on the property and transaction, supported market rent or projected rental figures may form part of the DSCR review when a conventional long-term lease is unavailable. That makes the program relevant to acquisitions where the future use of the home matters more than its previous tenancy. Purchase loans sit alongside rate-and-term and cash-out refinancing within the wider DSCR offering. LLC ownership may also be available when the borrower and property meet the applicable rules.

Newfi also provides tools that investors can use before formal underwriting begins. Its DSCR Calculator gives an investor room to change expected rent, financing assumptions, payment figures, and other variables instead of treating one revenue estimate as fixed. The accompanying rate resources can also help expose how property type, leverage, credit, and loan design influence the scenario. For someone comparing a DSCR lender, that preliminary work can reveal that an Airbnb only looks attractive under unusually optimistic occupancy. Several parts of the program can be compared for STR financing:

• Minimum DSCR: As low as 0.75 for qualified borrowers;
• Property modeling: Test DSCR, monthly payment, estimated cash flow, and changing financing assumptions;
• Market-supported rent: Certain short-term rental scenarios may be reviewed without relying on a standard twelve-month lease;
• Multiple transaction types: Financing can cover eligible acquisitions, refinances, and cash-out transactions;
• Investor ownership: Qualifying deals can include individual borrowers and permitted LLC structures.

A calculator cannot account for every underwriting condition or guarantee approval. Minimum credit, loan amount, reserves, property standards, and geographic availability still shape the final result.

2. Visio Lending

Vacation Rentals Are Part of the Core Business

Visio Lending concentrates on investment-property loans, with vacation rentals forming an established part of its DSCR business.

For Visio, an Airbnb is not simply a conventional rental with a shorter lease. The company has dedicated material explaining how vacation-property income can be examined through operating history or supported market estimates. Existing STRs may bring booking records and prior revenue into the analysis, while a new acquisition can require a different approach. Visio finances properties rented through platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo as well as independently operated vacation rentals. Purchase and refinance transactions can reach relatively high leverage where the complete file supports it.

The distinction matters most when two properties look identical on paper but have completely different income histories. A coastal rental with several years of bookings gives an underwriter evidence that a newly converted suburban property cannot provide. Visio evaluates these scenarios within its rental-property lending programs, where property cash flow is a central underwriting factor. Borrowing through an eligible business entity is another possibility for investors who prefer to hold the property outside their personal name. Its vacation-rental approach can be summarized through four areas:

• Operating records: Historical STR revenue can contribute to qualification when an established performance record exists;
• Forward estimates: Supported market figures may be relevant when previous booking history is unavailable;
• Platform flexibility: Airbnb, Vrbo, and independently managed vacation properties can be considered;
• Transaction coverage: The program extends beyond purchases to qualifying refinance scenarios.

Visio’s rental specialization does not automatically make its quote cheaper than every alternative. The value of that focus depends on the actual pricing, prepayment rules, leverage, and income calculation used for the property.

3. Easy Street Capital

A Data-Driven Route for New Airbnb Deals

Easy Street Capital runs its DSCR rental financing through the EasyRent program, which includes short-term rental properties.

A property does not have to spend a year operating as an Airbnb before Easy Street will consider it for a purchase transaction. The lender states that prior STR history is not required for qualifying acquisitions, which allows eligible new vacation-rental purchases to be evaluated without an established operating record. Market intelligence can instead help build the revenue picture where appropriate. Easy Street has incorporated AirDNA Rentalizer data into its approach to estimating short-term rental performance. Current program parameters also accommodate long-term and medium-term rentals, so the property does not necessarily need to follow the same occupancy model permanently.

AirDNA adds a different type of evidence from an owner’s own booking history. It can estimate variables such as average daily rate, occupancy, and annual revenue by looking at comparable activity in the surrounding market. Those numbers can help an investor judge an unseasoned property, but they remain projections rather than money already earned. Easy Street calculates DSCR against property obligations such as principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and applicable association costs. For STR buyers, several program details affect how the property may be evaluated:

• No operating-history requirement on purchases: First-time use as a vacation rental does not automatically prevent consideration;
• Third-party market information: AirDNA can support the projected income picture for an STR;
• Flexible rental use: Short-, medium-, and long-term rental strategies fall within EasyRent;
• Vacant acquisitions: A property does not always need an active tenant at the moment of purchase.

Financing approval still says nothing about whether a city, county, HOA, or condo association permits short-term rentals. That operating question needs to be settled separately before projected Airbnb revenue is treated as dependable.

4. Lima One Capital

Financing Built Specifically Around STR Use

Lima One Capital separates vacation-rental financing from its standard single-property rental product.

That distinction gives short-term rentals their own underwriting and loan framework instead of forcing them into assumptions designed around annual leases. Lima One publishes separate leverage levels for qualifying vacation-rental purchases and cash-out refinances. Borrowers can encounter fixed-rate, adjustable, fully amortizing, and interest-only configurations depending on the scenario. The lender examines both market conditions and available property revenue information when determining how the rental should be treated. Its larger investment platform also covers conventional rentals, portfolios, renovation-to-rental projects, and Build2Rent strategies.

These additional programs cover situations where an Airbnb property forms one stage of a longer investment plan. A borrower may renovate before stabilization, refinance after performance improves, or eventually move several properties into a portfolio structure. Lima One already operates lending programs around those neighboring strategies, so the STR loan does not exist in isolation. At the same time, a greater number of structures means the investor has more details to inspect before choosing one. The vacation-rental product brings several distinct elements:

• STR-specific underwriting: Vacation rentals are assessed within their own program rather than treated exactly like annual-lease properties;
• Different repayment designs: Fixed, ARM, amortizing, and qualifying interest-only arrangements are available;
• Acquisition and refinance use: Investors can examine financing for both new purchases and existing STR assets;
• Connection to other strategies: Adjacent programs cover renovation, portfolio growth, and longer-term rental ownership.

A lower initial payment can look attractive without being the cheapest structure over the intended holding period. Balloon provisions, interest-only terms, and prepayment conditions deserve the same attention as the quoted rate.

5. A&D Mortgage

More Room for Unusual STR Profiles

A&D Mortgage operates in the Non-QM market and includes short-term rentals within its DSCR program.

Its lending guidelines extend beyond a straightforward single-family Airbnb with a strong coverage ratio. A&D publishes options for properties with DSCR below 1.00 under certain circumstances, although weaker coverage can bring tighter credit or leverage requirements. The program also reaches property categories such as eligible condotels, multifamily assets, condos, and mixed-use real estate. Personal employment and income verification are not the central qualification method under the DSCR structure. Depending on the file, borrowers may have access to fixed- or adjustable-rate financing.

A&D’s published guidelines also cover several borrower profiles beyond standard investment-property scenarios. Its published material addresses first-time investors, foreign nationals, ITIN borrowers, and qualifying non-permanent residents under relevant guidelines. That does not mean every combination of borrower, property, and DSCR level receives the same leverage or pricing. In fact, broader program boundaries make it more important to examine the specific matrix behind the quote. Investors dealing with a less conventional STR scenario should pay attention to:

• Coverage below break-even: Certain files with DSCR under 1.00 can receive consideration under tighter conditions;
• Non-standard property types: The program extends beyond conventional detached rental homes;
• Alternative borrower profiles: Applicable guidelines cover several investor groups outside the narrowest agency-style borrower model;
• Short-term rental use: STR income can be incorporated into qualifying DSCR transactions.

A&D covers several borrower and property scenarios outside conventional rental-property profiles. Credit, leverage, asset type, and borrower status still affect qualification under the applicable program guidelines.

6. Griffin Funding

More Than One Way to Prove STR Revenue

Griffin Funding offers DSCR mortgages aimed at investors using properties for Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar short-term rental activity.

One of the harder questions in STR lending is what counts as credible income. Griffin describes several sources that may be used depending on the program, including rental-platform records, property-manager statements, bank deposits, appraisal analysis, and market information such as AirDNA. A newly purchased Airbnb and an established property being refinanced therefore do not necessarily arrive with the same evidence. The lender also accepts first-time investors for relevant STR DSCR products. Purchase and qualifying cash-out transactions are both part of its investment-property offering.

Refinancing creates a useful example of why documentation changes with the deal. If the property has already been operating as a vacation rental, an underwriter can examine actual performance instead of relying entirely on projections. A purchase may need to lean more heavily on market-supported assumptions where program rules permit them. Griffin also provides interest-only possibilities in qualifying cases and works with investors financing more than one property. The main distinctions are found in the documentation routes:

• Platform records: Existing Airbnb or Vrbo performance may support the qualifying income calculation;
• Bank or manager evidence: Deposits and property-management statements can provide another view of actual revenue;
• Market estimates: Certain acquisition scenarios may use qualifying third-party or appraisal-based STR projections;
• Equity access: Existing vacation rentals can be considered for eligible cash-out refinancing.

Not every documentation method applies to every loan. An investor should establish early which evidence the chosen program will accept instead of assuming a market projection can always replace operating history.

7. Park Place Finance

A Faster First Look at the Deal

Park Place Finance provides DSCR financing for investment properties that can include Airbnb and other short-term rental use.

Its online pricing interface allows investors to review indicative financing scenarios before sending a complete file to a lender. The borrower can enter the purchase price, credit profile, requested loan amount, expected rent, taxes, insurance, HOA costs, and STR status to view indicative financing scenarios. Park Place accounts for short-term rental use separately because maximum leverage or required coverage may differ from a standard long-term rental. The wider program also includes purchase, conventional refinance, and cash-out transactions. Property eligibility extends across several residential investment formats, including certain condo and condotel situations.

That early pricing stage can expose problems before an investor spends much time pursuing one financing plan. Changing projected rent or leverage, for example, may quickly show how dependent the deal is on an aggressive Airbnb forecast. Park Place also states that projected or actual rental income may be relevant to vacation-property qualification under applicable terms. First-time investors and LLC borrowers can participate in suitable scenarios as well. Its STR offering includes the following features:

• Preliminary pricing: Borrowers can test an investment-property scenario online before a full application;
• Separate STR treatment: Short-term rental use is reflected in the financing assumptions rather than ignored;
• Actual or projected income: Different income evidence may apply depending on the property and transaction;
• Multiple loan purposes: Purchase and qualifying refinance options sit within the same DSCR platform.

Indicative pricing can provide an initial reference point but does not represent a guaranteed rate or approval. Local operating rules and final underwriting can still change whether the proposed Airbnb financing works.

Final Thoughts

Short-term rental lenders differ in the evidence they accept when determining rental income. Newfi provides property-analysis tools, Visio focuses on vacation-rental financing, Easy Street incorporates market data, and Lima One separates STR lending into its own program. A&D covers additional borrower and property profiles, Griffin provides several documentation routes, and Park Place offers online indicative pricing. Investors can compare these differences using the same occupancy, expenses, leverage, and holding-period assumptions.

Airbnb investors can compare quotes using conservative revenue assumptions rather than relying only on optimistic occupancy and rental-income projections.