What is a good percentage of debt-to-income ratio?

Lenders prefer a debt-to-income ratio lower than 36%, with no more than 28% of that debt going towards servicing a mortgage or rent payment. While there are variations between the different types of debt-to-income ratios that lenders will accept when assessing prospective borrowers, banks and financial institutions generally apply the debt-to-income ratio as part of the credit analysis process.