Ohio · Debt service coverage ratio lending
DSCR loans in Ohio, priced by what the property earns
DSCR Loan Ohio is a free rate-quote matching service. We are not a lender or a broker — we connect Ohio investors with DSCR lenders and let you compare what comes back.
- No tax returns or pay stubs
- Every figure dated and sourced
Ohio, at a glance
Four numbers, each dated and sourced- Average Ohio home value
- $242,141
- As of Apr 2026 [1]
- Ohio statewide gross rental yield
- ~10.2%
- As of Jul 2026 [2]
- Ohio rental vacancy rate
- 5.9%
- vs. 7.2% national · 2026 [1]
- Observed DSCR rate, long-term rental loans
- ~7.20%
- Average, within an observed range of 6.5%–8.75% · Q2 2026 [3][4]
This is a market average, not an offer of credit — we don’t set rates and we don’t originate loans. Your number depends on your DSCR band, credit, and loan-to-value. The full observed-range table, with a row for every borrower profile, is on the Ohio DSCR rates page.
Why Ohio pulls out-of-state DSCR money
A Entry price
Ohio’s average home value, $242,141 (Apr 2026)[1], sits well under half the national median. Cleveland, Dayton, and Akron all trade in the $110,000–$135,000 band. A 20% down payment on a $130,000 house is $26,000 — an investor can build a four-property Ohio portfolio for roughly the down payment on one coastal rental.
B Rent-to-price
Ohio’s statewide gross rental yield runs around 10.2%[2], against coastal markets commonly quoted in the 4%–5% band. Akron alone posts a 12.1% gross yield[5] — the best in the state. This is the pillar that actually makes DSCR loans work: DSCR is a ratio test, and Ohio’s ratio clears where coastal ratios usually don’t. A 1.25 DSCR is ordinary in Cleveland and nearly impossible in San Jose.
C Landlord framework
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 sets the rules statewide: no rent control, no statutory cap on security deposits, a 3-day notice for nonpayment, and an uncontested eviction that typically runs 3–4 weeks [6]. That predictability is underwritable.
It isn’t unlimited — Cleveland’s lead-safe certification requirement and Columbus’s new Rental Registry (passed April 2026) are real, growing compliance costs, and we’d rather tell you now than have you find out at closing.
D Demand anchors, not speculation
Central Ohio’s population is projected to grow from 2.4 million toward 3 million by 2050 [7]. Intel’s New Albany fabs represent a $28 billion-plus investment and roughly 3,000 direct jobs — though production start has slipped to 2030–2031, which is worth knowing before you underwrite a submarket around it [7]. Ohio State University, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals medical corridor, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (30,000-plus personnel, behind Dayton) round out a set of demand drivers that don’t depend on any one company’s stock price.
How a DSCR loan is underwritten in Ohio
Worked with real Cuyahoga County numbersThe formula is simple. Most DSCR programs want to see 1.00 or higher; 1.20–1.25 is where pricing and leverage tend to improve.
DSCR = gross monthly rent ÷ total monthly housing payment (PITIA)
principal · interest · taxes · insurance · association dues
Here’s what that looks like on a real Cleveland property, with real Cuyahoga County numbers — not a national average.
The deal: a $130,000 single-family home, 20% down ($26,000), a $104,000 loan, $1,200/month in rent, Cuyahoga County’s effective property tax rate of 1.80% (the highest in Ohio) [4], and $1,220/year in landlord insurance (the Ohio typical) [8], at the observed Ohio average rate of 7.20% on a 30-year term.
That 1.20 clears the common 1.00 floor but lands just under the 1.20–1.25 band where pricing usually improves. Run the identical property with the statewide-average tax rate of 1.36% instead of Cuyahoga’s 1.80% — the only variable that changes — and the DSCR moves to 1.26, clearing the best-terms threshold. The county line on the tax bill is doing more to this ratio than half a point of rate would. Nobody else publishing Ohio DSCR content runs this math with real county numbers; most stop at a statewide average and call it done.
| Line item | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Principal & interest | $706 |
| Property tax (1.80% of $130,000, Cuyahoga) | $195 |
| Insurance ($1,220/yr) | $102 |
| Total PITIA | $1,003 |
| Gross rent | $1,200 |
| DSCR | 1.20 |
Ohio markets we cover
Six metros · per-figure sources| Metro | Median home price | Rent | Gross yield | County | Eff. tax rate | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | $262K city · ~$315K metro | avg $1,366–$1,487 | ~5.5–6.5% | Franklin | 1.47% | Growth over yield — thinnest cash flow of the big three |
| Cleveland | ~$111,059 | median $913/mo | ~9.8% | Cuyahoga | 1.80% (highest in Ohio) | Deepest yield, most hands-on operations |
| Cincinnati | $276,000, Feb 2026 sale | avg $1,482 | ~6.4% | Hamilton | 1.53% | Balance of cash flow and appreciation |
| Dayton | $131,950–$134,774 | apartment rents $650–$924 | high, verify against SFR rents | Montgomery | parts over 2.3% | Ohio’s lowest entry basis; watch loan minimums |
| Toledo | verify at write time | avg $967 | — | Lucas | verify | Deep value, operator-intensive |
| Akron | avg value $131,255 | median asking rent $1,350, Jul 2026 | 12.06% — best in Ohio | Summit | verify | Highest gross yield in the state |
Scroll table horizontally for all columns →
See the full Ohio rental market data hub for the master table, the tax-drag math, and why Columbus alone has three defensible median prices.
Getting your actual rate
Published averages tell you the neighborhood — your number comes from a lender quoting your actual deal. That’s what this site does: tell us the property once, and we put it in front of DSCR lenders who compete to quote it.
When lenders quote you, these are the levers that move the number:
DSCR band
A 1.25+ file prices better than a 1.00–1.09 file.
FICO band
720+ prices meaningfully better than sub-660.
LTV
Less leverage, better pricing — 65% LTV beats 80% LTV nearly every time.
Purchase vs. cash-out
Cash-out refinances typically carry a rate add-on over a purchase or rate-term refinance.
Unit count
Single-family and 2–4 unit price differently than 5–8 unit.
Prepay structure
Buying out a prepayment penalty (moving from a 5-year to a 3-year or no-prepay structure) commonly costs rate.
The observed Ohio range (6.50%–8.75%, Q2 2026) is the market backdrop. A quote is your number.
What happens when you submit
We built this to be boring, on purpose — no surprises at any step.
- STEP 01
You fill out a short form
About 2 minutes, no tax returns, no pay stubs.
- STEP 02
We verify your phone number
With a one-time text code.
- STEP 03
Your scenario goes to lenders in our network
Lenders who fund Ohio rental property.
- STEP 04
You hear from one or more of them
Usually the same or next business day.
- STEP 05
You compare what they send you
Rate, points, prepayment terms, all in writing.
- STEP 06
You choose, or you don’t
Nothing is owed either way.
There is no fee to you at any point in this process. Consent to be contacted is not a condition of purchase.
Ohio DSCR questions, quick answers
What’s the minimum DSCR to qualify in Ohio?
Most programs set the floor at 1.00, meaning rent covers the full housing payment with nothing left over. Some no-ratio and light-doc programs will go below 1.00 with a larger down payment or reserves; 1.20–1.25 is where pricing and leverage typically improve.
What credit score do I need for an Ohio DSCR loan?
660 is a common floor across DSCR programs. 680–720+ opens the best pricing and leverage; a small number of programs go as low as 620 with reduced LTV.
What’s the typical down payment?
20–25% on a purchase (75–80% LTV), 25–30% on a cash-out refinance.
Can I close in an LLC?
Most DSCR lenders permit or prefer it. That’s a lender-program question and a legal/tax question for your own advisors — not advice from us.
Do I need to live in Ohio?
No. Out-of-state and foreign-national investors buy Ohio rentals with DSCR loans routinely; it’s one of the most common buyer profiles here.
How fast can this close?
DSCR loans commonly close in 2–4 weeks once the appraisal and title work are in, faster than a typical conventional purchase because there’s no income or employment verification to chase.
Answer a few questions about your property.
We’ll get your scenario to lenders who work in Ohio, and you compare what they send back — no cost to you, no obligation to move forward.
DSCR Loan Ohio is operated by Direct Marketing Media, Inc. We are not a lender or a mortgage broker and do not originate, fund, or service loans. Lenders pay us for the introduction; you pay nothing.