How to Use STR Income to Calculate DSCR (2026)

How to use STR income to calculate DSCR is the question that decides whether your Airbnb or VRBO numbers actually size the loan — or whether the lender only counts long-term market rent. A DSCR loan is rental income divided by PITIA. If the lender will not treat nightly revenue as that income, the ratio prints off a 12-month lease estimate and the loan amount shrinks.

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There are three ways a lender can use short-term rental income on a DSCR file. You do not pick all three. You pick the method the program accepts for this address, then you send the matching proof.

Hub: DSCR loans for short-term rentals and Airbnb · Underwriting detail: how lenders underwrite Airbnb income · Model the ratio: DSCR calculator

Why STR income is not automatic

Standard DSCR programs start with the appraisal rent schedule — the long-term Form 1007. That form answers what a 12-month tenant would pay. It does not price peak-season nights.

In a vacation market the gap is large. Nightly collections can run well above the 1007. If the lender will not switch the numerator to STR income, you either bring more cash or you fail the ratio. That is why investors ask how to get STR income recognized.

It is also why STR-friendly files often carry a rate add-on and a tighter LTV than a plain long-term hold. See short-term rental DSCR loan rates in 2026 after you know which income method you are using.

Method 1 — AirDNA comps (and operator experience)

Some lenders allow AirDNA comps. They pull the AirDNA (or similar) report on the subject property and treat that projection as the starting income figure.

The video is specific about the next step: the lender may lever off that report based on your experience as a short-term rental operator. A sponsor with a track record of filling nights can support more of the projection. A first-time host usually gets a heavier haircut — or a decline back to the 1007.

When this method fits

• You are buying an STR that has no subject-property history you can show
• The seller will not share Airbnb or VRBO statements
• The program publishes an AirDNA / third-party projection path

What to send

• AirDNA (or comparable) report for the exact address
• A short operator resume: properties you have hosted, occupancy, years in STR
• Proof STR is legal at the address — permit, license, or HOA approval

AirDNA is a model, not a bank deposit. Lenders discount it. For how those haircuts work on live files, read how lenders underwrite Airbnb income.

Method 2 — An STR form in the appraisal

The second path is still evolving. Some appraisal management companies (AMCs) now use their own short-term rental form. Think of it as the STR cousin of the long-term 1007 rent schedule.

They include that form in the appraisal package. The lender then accepts it as the income calculation for DSCR.

This is not the same as a standard 1007. The 1007 is long-term market rent. The STR form is the appraiser’s (or AMC’s) view of nightly-rental income, built into the same report the lender already ordered.

When this method fits

• The program says it will accept an STR addendum or STR rent form in the appraisal
• You want the income figure to travel with the appraisal, not as a side PDF
• You do not yet have a clean trailing-twelve on the subject

What to ask before you order the appraisal

• Will this AMC complete an STR income form, or only a 1007?
• Will the lender accept that form as DSCR income, or only as support?
• Do you need a specific AMC panel, or can any STR-capable appraiser do it?

If the answer is “1007 only,” do not assume nightly numbers will count. Confirm the form before you pay for the report. Background on the long-term schedule: DSCR loan appraisal and the 1007 rent schedule.

Method 3 — Trailing actual income (app to bank)

The third way is the cleanest when you already operate the property: trailing actual income. You prove the property generates the income — not that a model says it should.

The video is clear on documentation. You have to show the money moving from the Airbnb app or VRBO to your bank account. A screenshot of a calendar is not enough. The lender wants the platform payout to match deposits.

What to send

• Consecutive Airbnb or VRBO host earnings (ideally 12 months on the subject)
• Bank statements that show those payouts landing
• Address match on the listing, the statements, and the appraisal
• A one-line note for any empty month (reno, storm, permit pause)

This path has more documentation. It also has the most trust. Actual deposits beat a projection when the program allows them.

If you are refinancing a seasoned STR, start here. If you are buying vacant, you will usually start with method 1 or 2, then refinance onto actuals after a year. Hard money to DSCR refinance is the typical sequence when the buy is not rent-ready.

Which method should you ask for?

Your situation	Ask the lender for
Buying, no subject STR history, you have hosted before	AirDNA comps, levered by your operator experience
Buying, program wants income inside the appraisal	STR form / STR addendum from the AMC
Refinance or cash-out on a live listing	Trailing actuals — platform to bank
STR not legal or not licensed	Long-term 1007 only — do not force STR income

Do not send all three and hope the highest number wins. Ask which method the program uses on this file, then build that package. Mixing an AirDNA printout with three months of deposits and a 1007 often slows underwriting.

Local rules still gate every method. Unlicensed nightly income usually does not count. Start with short-term rental laws for investors and STR insurance and permits.

What to put in the scenario

When you pre-qualify, say which income method you are requesting:

1. Address and whether this is a purchase or refinance
2. AirDNA report, STR appraisal form, or trailing actuals — pick one
3. Taxes, insurance quote, HOA
4. STR permit or license status
5. Your STR operating history if you want AirDNA levered on experience

Purchase files go to investment property purchase. Refinance and cash-out go to DSCR and bridge refinance. Call (833) 264-7776 if the contract date is tight.

In this video

• 0:00 — How can I get a lender to use STR income to calculate DSCR?
• 0:07 — Three ways to use short-term rental income
• 0:12 — AirDNA comps, levered by your STR operator experience
• 0:35 — Some AMCs add an STR form to the appraisal, like a 1007
• 0:42 — Trailing actuals: Airbnb or VRBO payouts into your bank account

Full transcript

How can I get a lender to use my short-term rental income to calculate the DSCR for the DSCR loan? Generally, there are three ways to be able to use STR income. The first way is some lenders allow AirDNA comps. So they’ll pull the AirDNA on the property and then they may lever off that based on your experience as a short-term rental operator. But that’s way number one. Way number two, which is evolving, is some AMCs will use their own short-term rental form, kind of like the long-term rental 1007. They’ll throw that into the appraisal and the lender will accept that as a form of income calculation for the DSCR. And then the third way is actually using trailing actual income as proof that that property generates that income. Now, there’s a little more documentation with that. You have to show that from the Airbnb app or VRBO to your bank account that income exists.

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Need STR income counted on a DSCR file? Pre-qualify · Submit a purchase · Submit a refinance · (833) 264-7776

Rates, terms and conditions offered only to qualified borrowers and are subject to change at any time without notice. All loans are subject to full underwriting for loan approvals. Jaken Finance Group only finances non-owner occupied investment properties.

How to Use STR Income to Calculate DSCR — next step (2026)

Ask which of the three methods the program will use — AirDNA, an STR appraisal form, or trailing actuals — then send that package. Do not mix all three and hope.

Submit scenario · Pre-qualify · (833) 264-7776.