A financial metric used in real estate to measure a property’s ability to cover its debt obligations. The Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR or DSC) is calculated by dividing the net operating income by the debt service payment and is often expressed as a multiple (i.e. a DSCR of 1.20x). The DSCR is used by banks to determine the maximum loan amount offered to a borrower and to assess the probability that a borrower might default on the loan.