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Program 02
Rental / DSCR in Bakersfield
Bakersfield DSCR loans price the property's cash flow, not you.
DSCR rental loans qualify on the property's cash flow, not your tax returns. We lend up to 80% LTV, with DSCR as low as 0.75, rates from 5.5% interest-only, and 30-year fixed terms available on single properties or whole portfolios. Bakersfield carries the lowest entry basis of any major California metro, which is exactly the kind of headroom a DSCR ratio needs to clear. This is business-purpose lending only, and every rate and term is set in underwriting.
0.75
min DSCR
5.5%
rates from
30-yr
fixed avail.
80%
max LTV
Typical figures, subject to underwriting and market conditions. Not a commitment to lend.
How it works
No tax returns or personal income docs in most cases. We qualify on the property's cash flow, so you can scale your portfolio without the paperwork drag of conventional lending.
Who it's for
Buy-and-hold investors
Single rentals and portfolios
Short-term rentals considered
Rate/term and cash-out refi
Typical terms
Loan amount$100K to $3M
Max leverageUp to 80% LTV
DSCRFrom 0.75
CreditFrom 640
Term30-yr fixed / 5-7-10 ARM
RateFrom 5.50% IO*
PrepayFlexible structures
*Typical terms, subject to underwriting and market conditions.
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Local FAQ
Rental / DSCR in Bakersfield, answered.
Why does a DSCR file clear in Bakersfield when it doesn't on the California coast?
Bakersfield carries the lowest entry basis and the highest gross rent-to-value of California's major metros, and that spread is what lets a DSCR ratio clear here. As of June 2026, Zillow's mid-tier single-family value against its observed rent index works out to roughly 7.4% gross yield in Bakersfield, against about 5.2% in Los Angeles and 5.0% in San Diego, a gap of nearly two full percentage points. That is gross rent to value, not a cap rate. It nets out no taxes, insurance, or vacancy, so run your own numbers, but the direction is the whole DSCR case for this metro.
How do I pull the right property tax rate for a Kern County DSCR file?
Pull the parcel's own tax rate area from the Auditor-Controller's rate book and apply that exact rate to your purchase price, not a countywide average. Kern County's 2025-2026 rate book lists 2,441 tax rate area totals running from about 1.03% to 1.76% of assessed value, with a median of 1.159484%; ordinary residential parcels sit in the 1.03% to 1.27% band, and the rate varies bond by bond, not city by city. A countywide average can miss the true rate by up to about 20 basis points of value in either direction, which on a thin DSCR file is the difference between clearing and not.
What happens to my Kern County tax bill the year after I buy?
Your assessed value resets to what you paid, and Kern issues a supplemental bill on top in year one. Every California purchase is a reassessment event at the purchase price under Proposition 13, so the seller's old tax bill on the listing is not your bill. Kern also issues a supplemental assessment on every change of ownership, prorated for the balance of the fiscal year, and a transfer between the lien date of January 1 and May 31 generates supplemental bills for the current fiscal year and the succeeding one. Underwrite the reset rate and the supplemental bill before you lock a rent-to-tax cushion, and talk to your CPA about the assessment appeal window, which runs July 2 through November 30 with no extension.
Does California's statewide rent cap apply to a Bakersfield DSCR rental?
Yes, unless the property qualifies for a specific exemption. No local rent control ordinance or rent board has been identified for Bakersfield, so statewide AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, sets the floor: rent increases are capped at 5% plus CPI up to a hard 10% ceiling, and just cause is required after 12 months of tenancy, with one month's rent in relocation assistance for a no-fault termination. Newer certificates of occupancy carry a 15-year rolling exemption, and single-family homes can qualify for a separate exemption if the required statutory notice is given. Talk to your attorney about whether a specific property qualifies before you underwrite around an exemption, and to confirm no local layer has been adopted since.
Can I run a short-term rental in Bakersfield on a DSCR loan?
It depends which side of the city line the property sits on. Inside the city of Bakersfield, short-term rentals were not permitted at all before 2026; the City Council adopted its first ordinance in June 2026, taking effect in July 2026, with a permit valid 12 months, a business tax certificate, and no grandfathering for existing operators. In unincorporated Kern County the requirement is lighter: a free Transient Occupancy Tax certificate per rental unit with the Treasurer-Tax Collector. Verify the current permit terms with the city before you underwrite short-term rent, and if the property needs work before it can rent either way, our fix and flip loan can fund the acquisition and rehab first, with a DSCR refinance behind it qualifying on the finished property's rent.
Which Kern County city gives the best per-door basis for a DSCR portfolio?
Taft, Ridgecrest, California City, and Arvin carry the lowest per-door basis in the metro, in that order, well under the Bakersfield city and Tehachapi figures. Taft and Ridgecrest are each a single-industry town, oilfield service and the Navy's China Lake base respectively, so underwrite the local economy alongside the basis rather than the basis alone. A ten-door Kern County portfolio prices at roughly what a two-door coastal California purchase costs, and one county assessor, auditor-controller, and appeals board across all of it simplifies multi-asset diligence, though tax rate areas still need a parcel-by-parcel pull as noted above.
How much do I need to put down on a Bakersfield DSCR loan?
Plan on 20%, plus closing costs. We lend up to 80% LTV, so on a $350,000 Bakersfield rental purchase that is $280,000 from us and $70,000 from you (350,000 x 80% = 280,000). The ratio itself starts at DSCR from 0.75, and Bakersfield's gross rent-to-value spread, roughly 7.4% as of June 2026 against about 5.2% in Los Angeles, is what gives that ratio room to clear here. Subject to underwriting.
My score is under 640. What are my options on a Bakersfield rental?
DSCR starts at 640, so below that we move you to a different program instead of stretching this one. Our asset-based loans, fix and flip, bridge and construction, carry no minimum score, and weak credit there is usually met with lower leverage rather than a decline. A common Bakersfield path is to buy and renovate on a fix and flip loan, then refinance into DSCR once the finished rent supports it. No hard credit pull to start. Subject to underwriting.
Is there a minimum loan amount for a Bakersfield DSCR loan?
$100,000 to $3 million. The floor is worth checking in Kern County, where Taft, Ridgecrest, California City and Arvin carry the lowest per-door basis in the metro: one cheap door out there can price below the minimum even when the rent works. Two fixes are common. Buy that door with more cash and refinance later, or roll several of them into a portfolio loan, which starts at $500,000. Terms run 30-year fixed or 5, 7 and 10-year ARM. Subject to underwriting.
More Rental / DSCR questions, answered on the program page
Resources
Guides for Rental / DSCR
Rental / DSCR · 5 min read
What Is a DSCR Loan? How Investors Qualify on Rental Income
Read the guide Strategy · 6 min read
Financing the BRRRR Method: Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat
Read the guide Rental / DSCR · 5 min read
DSCR vs Conventional Loan: Which Is Better for Investment Property?
Read the guide Rates & Costs · 5 min read
Hard Money Loan Rates and Costs, Explained
Read the guide More in Bakersfield
Other programs in Bakersfield
Fix and FlipUp to 90% / 100% rehabGround-Up ConstructionUp to 70% LTV, most statesCRE BridgeUp to $10M, 24-36 moTransactional FundingSame-day double-close capitalBank Statement / No-DocNo tax returns requiredConventional InvestmentNon-owner-occupied investmentPortfolio LoansMultiple properties, one loanCRE PermanentLong-term agency & permSBA Financing7(a) & 504 placement
About the local figures on this page
Local rules move. Every tax rate, fee, ordinance and market figure here comes from a primary source and carries the date we read it, and we correct them as the rules change. Where a number is mid-change or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess. Before you commit a budget, confirm anything that drives it with the city or county, and talk to your attorney or CPA on questions of law or tax.
Published by USA Mortgage Funding, LLC, NMLS #152588. Researched from primary sources by our team, drafted with AI assistance, and every figure checked against its source before publishing. Where an answer rests on a public record, that record is linked under it. Figures read on 2026-08-15.
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