Can You Get a 30-Year Loan on an Airbnb? What Qualifies, and What It Costs
Easy Lending USA is not a lender or a mortgage broker. We connect real estate investors with private lenders for business-purpose loans on non-owner-occupied investment property. Figures below are indicative, as of October 2026, and subject to underwriting.
Yes, you can put a 30-year loan on an Airbnb. A short-term rental can be financed with a 30-year, fully amortizing DSCR loan that is sized on the booking income, with no balloon and no tax returns. The catch is that the property has to carry the payment: the short-term rental income must cover the full monthly payment at least once over (a DSCR of 1.00).
Plenty of hosts end up on a 12-month hard-money note or a 3-year bank balloon instead, because the first lender they called only underwrites long-term leases. This post covers what the 30-year version looks like, what it costs, and when it’s the wrong move.
What does a 30-year Airbnb loan actually look like?
It is a DSCR rental loan with a short-term rental income method. Through our lending partners, the standard structure is a 30-year fixed, 5/6 ARM or 7/6 ARM, fully amortizing, on a 1–4 unit home, townhome or condo the borrower doesn’t live in. Loans run from $100,000 to $2,000,000, closed in an LLC or a personal name.
| Term | Short-term rental | Long-term rental, for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Max LTV, purchase | 80% at 700+ credit; 85% at 740+ for experienced investors | 80%; 85% at 740+ |
| Max LTV, cash-out | 75% | 75% |
| Minimum credit | 680 (LTV 5% lower under 700) | 680, or 640 with our second lending partner |
| Minimum DSCR | 1.00 (1.25 for 85%) | 0.80, or 0.75 with our second partner |
| Interest-only | Not offered | Available at DSCR 1.00+ |
| Rate add-on | About +0.25% | None |
| Balloon | None | None |
How is Airbnb income counted?
Two ways. If the property has run as a short-term rental for twelve months, the platform statements (Airbnb, VRBO or a manager’s owner statements) are the strongest evidence. On a purchase or a conversion, the appraisal includes a short-term rent analysis, and the loan is sized on that projection. An AirDNA report helps get a quote, but the appraiser’s number is the one that sizes the loan. We cover the detail in how lenders actually treat short-term rental income.
The arithmetic on a $400,000 cabin
Take a mountain cabin bought for $400,000 by a borrower with 760 credit, financed at 80% on a 30-year fixed. At an illustrative rate of about 8.0% (the October sheet’s 80% tier, plus the fixed-rate and short-term rental add-ons), the numbers look like this:
- Loan: $320,000. Principal and interest: about $2,342 a month
- Taxes about $300 and short-term rental insurance about $275: total payment about $2,917
- To clear DSCR 1.00, the qualifying short-term rental income has to be at least $2,917 a month
At 85% the same cabin needs a $340,000 loan at roughly 0.75% more in rate, a payment of about $3,244, and a DSCR of 1.25. That means about $4,055 a month of qualifying income. That 15% down is real, but the property has to earn about 39% more to get it.
$400,000 purchase · 760 credit · 30-year fixed · taxes about $300 and insurance about $275 a month. Illustrative arithmetic, subject to underwriting; not a quote or an offer of credit.
Price of the extra 5% leverage
+$1,138/mo
That much more monthly booking income is needed to qualify at 85% than at 80% — the $20,000 smaller down payment is paid for by a property that has to earn about 39% more.
Can I refinance an Airbnb out of hard money?
Yes, and it’s the most common reason hosts call. Rate-and-term refinances go to 80% and cash-out to 75% at 700+ credit. If you have owned the property for six months or more, the loan is sized on today’s appraised value. Under six months, it is capped at what you paid plus documented rehab. The property must not have been listed for sale in the last 30 days. Plan the refinance at month four to eight of a 12-month note, not in the final weeks. See the DSCR cash-out refinance page for the seasoning rules.
What if I’m moving to mid-term or long-term guests?
When half or more of the rent determination comes from long-term leases, the whole property is underwritten as a long-term rental. That means long-term pricing (no 0.25% add-on), the lower DSCR floor, and interest-only becomes available. Hosts in cities tightening their short-term rental rules often find this the cheaper loan, so price both versions before you choose.
When a 30-year loan is the wrong call
- You’ll sell within two or three years. Prepayment penalties on these loans run up to five years. A no-penalty option exists, but it costs about 1% in rate.
- The income doesn’t cover the payment. Below DSCR 1.00 a short-term rental can only be financed on its long-term rent. If that doesn’t work either, the deal needs more cash in it, not a different lender.
- The property is a second home. If you or your family will use it, it isn’t a business-purpose loan, and we don’t arrange it.
- Local rules are uncertain. Financing doesn’t make a short-term rental legal. Check the ordinance and the HOA before you go under contract. Some New York and New Jersey markets need lender approval, and the 85% program excludes several vacation counties.
What to send for a real quote
Send the address, the price or current value, twelve months of booking statements (or an AirDNA projection), the annual taxes, insurance and any HOA, your credit range and how many rentals you own. Nothing is pulled and nothing is charged by us; we are paid by the lender when the loan closes. Full terms are on the short-term rental loan program page, or you can submit the deal directly.
Business-purpose loans only, secured by non-owner-occupied investment property, in all 50 states. Rates, LTVs and timelines are indicative, subject to underwriting, and not an offer or commitment to lend.