Reverse mortgages do not consider debt-to-income ratios and instead rely on a residual income analysis to determine eligibility, which is a more accessible threshold to meet.  For example, if a single person in the state of California had a monthly income of $3,000 and total monthly expenses of $2,000, they would have a 66.67% Income Ratio ($2,000/$3,000), which would not qualify you for most (if not all) traditional mortgages.  However, for a reverse mortgage loan utilizing a residual income analysis, this person would have a $1,000 residual income ($3,000 - $2,000) and meet the minimum requirement of $589 for a family size of 1 in the West.