Certain Lending vs Griffin Funding
What each lender publishes about financing short-term rentals, side by side. Certain Lending: all except hi, nd, nv, sd, ut, wv. Griffin Funding: all 50 states + dc.
The short version
- Both accept STR history or a projection.
- Griffin Funding has the lower minimum credit score (620 vs 700).
- Griffin Funding has the higher max purchase LTV (85% vs 75%).
- Griffin Funding has the higher max cash-out LTV (80% vs 70%).
- Griffin Funding has the lower minimum loan ($100K vs $150K).
- Neither publishes a minimum DSCR.
- Certain Lending does not publish a policy on first-time investors; Griffin Funding allows them.
Based only on published figures, checked Oct 19, 2026. Published maximums usually need top credit. Confirm with the lender.
| Term | Certain LendingDirect lender | Griffin FundingDirect lender (consumer-direct) |
|---|---|---|
| STR income method | Either Lender sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 | Either griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| STR income details | DSCR calculated using 12 months of operating history or AirDNA rents as market rent. See lender sources | 12-month history: 12 months Airbnb/Vrbo history; 80% where a 20% expense factor applies, 100% on other programs. Projection: Purchase: AirDNA and/or appraiser STR analysis (often the lower of the two); 80% or 100% by program. griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Min credit score | 700 certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | 620 griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Min DSCR | Not published | Not published |
| DSCR below 1.0 | Not published | Yes Lender sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 |
| No-ratio option | Not published | Yes Lender sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 |
| Max LTV (purchase) | 75% certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | 85% Lender sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 |
| Max LTV (cash-out/refi) | 70% certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | 80% griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Min loan | $150K certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | $100K griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Max loan | $1.5M certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | $4.5M griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Prepayment | Not published | 0-5 year terms; common structure is a 5-year step-down (5/4/3/2/1); can be bought out at closing griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| States served | All except HI, ND, NV, SD, UT, WV Does not lend in HI, ND, NV, SD, UT or WV. DC is not addressed. certainlending.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 | All 50 states + DC Lender sources · checked Oct 18, 2026 |
| First-time investors | Not published | Yes griffinfunding.com · checked Oct 19, 2026 |
| Channel | Direct lender | Direct lender (consumer-direct) |
| Last verified |
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Not a lender or broker. No referral fees. For education only. Figures come from each lender's public pages on the date shown and can change without notice, so verify them with the lender. Rates are estimates, not quotes. How we source data.