Before You Miss a Mortgage Payment

Call before the due date

Explain what changed, when the hardship started, whether it appears temporary or permanent, and whether you expect to resume the regular payment.

Build a budget

List reliable household income, housing costs, utilities, food, transportation, required debts and hardship expenses.

Gather documents

Keep income records, bank statements if requested, hardship evidence and every servicer communication.

Do not intentionally default from internet advice

Ask what can be reviewed while current or imminently delinquent rather than assuming a missed payment is required.

Action checklist

Call the servicer; identify the investor/agency; explain the hardship; ask what makes the application complete; save proof of every submission; open every letter; write down foreclosure and response deadlines; and contact a HUD-approved housing counselor. If a sale, lawsuit, bankruptcy issue or legal deadline exists, seek qualified state-specific legal help promptly.

Questions to ask the servicer

Who owns, insures or guarantees my loan? Which retention and disposition options are being reviewed? Is my application complete? What is missing? Is there a foreclosure sale date? Does review affect that date? If denied, what is the specific reason and is there an appeal or escalation path?

Official resources

• HUD — Avoiding Foreclosure
• HUD — FHA Loss Mitigation
• CFPB — Foreclosure / Loss Mitigation
• Fannie Mae — Payment Deferral
• Fannie Mae — Flex Modification
• Freddie Mac — Relief Options
• VA — Servicer Assistance
• VA — 2026 Partial Claim FAQs
• USDA — Guaranteed Loan Program
• FTC — Mortgage Relief Scams

Last reviewed September 15, 2026. Eligibility is loan-, investor-, servicer- and situation-specific. State foreclosure law varies.

What not to do

Do not ignore mail because you are embarrassed or expect the problem to resolve itself. Do not send mortgage payments to a third-party rescue company. Do not sign over title without independent advice. Do not assume a pending modification automatically stops foreclosure. Do not intentionally create a delinquency because someone online said it is required. And do not wait for a sale date before asking the servicer what documents are needed.

Build a written record

Keep the mortgage statement, hardship explanation, income and expense documents, every assistance application, every upload or fax confirmation, representative names, dates and call notes, written offers/denials, and every foreclosure notice. If the file becomes disputed or time-sensitive, a clean record helps a housing counselor, servicer escalation team or attorney understand what happened.