How do I write a hardship letter to my mortgage servicer?

Use the free tool — Mortgage Hardship Helper

Why the letter matters

A hardship letter tells your servicer, in your own words, what happened and what you need. It is not a plea — it is the document that opens the door to a repayment plan, forbearance, modification, or a Partial Claim, depending on your loan. Keep it short and honest.

What to put in the letter

The date and your loan number
The hardship, in three sentences, with dates
Whether the hardship is temporary or permanent
Your income now, and what you expect it to be
What you can pay, and starting when
The specific option you are requesting
A request for the complete loss-mitigation application package and written confirmation that your letter was received

Name the option that fits your loan

Options depend on your loan type, as currently published — a HUD-approved counselor or your servicer will confirm which apply to you today (HUD — FHA loss mitigation):

FHA: forbearance, repayment plan, loan modification, or a Partial Claim — an interest-free HUD lien for the arrears, repaid when the loan ends.
VA: repayment plan, special forbearance, modification, and current VA servicing options.
USDA: forbearance, repayment plan, modification, mortgage recovery advance.
Conventional (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac): forbearance, repayment plan, payment deferral, Flex Modification.

If your hardship is a declared disaster, ask by name for a disaster forbearance or moratorium program — FHA, VA, USDA and GSE loans have them. If the hardship is an escrow jump from insurance or taxes, ask your servicer for an escrow analysis and a 12-month spread of the shortage.

Know your clock

Under federal rules, a servicer generally cannot start foreclosure until you are more than 120 days behind, and must send written notice of your options by day 45 (CFPB — Mortgage servicing rules). In Florida, the lender must sue you in court, and you have 20 days from being served to file a written answer (Fla. Stat. ch. 702 — Foreclosure). Send your complete application as early as you can — this tool cannot promise exact dates for your case.

Send the letter, not money

Never pay an up-front fee to a company promising to fix your mortgage — that violates federal law (FTC — Mortgage relief scams). A HUD-approved housing counselor helps you write the letter and deal with the servicer for free, at 1-800-569-4287 (HUD — Find a housing counselor). If a foreclosure lawsuit has already been filed, free help by county is listed at FloridaLawHelp.org.

What to do next

This is general information, not legal or financial advice, and it can be wrong. The free tool reads your own situation — what happened, how far behind you are, your servicer, and your loan type — and drafts the hardship letter and the options in the order that protects your house, in English or Spanish. Confirm every option and deadline with your servicer or a HUD-approved counselor before you act.

The full version — $9

Loss-mitigation pack · One loan: hardship letter, call script, application checklist, budget worksheet, call log, timeline

Use the free tool

Mortgage Hardship Helper explains federal mortgage-servicing rules, loan-program options and Florida foreclosure procedure in plain language from official sources; it can be wrong, and it is not legal or financial advice. Program terms change — your servicer and a HUD counselor confirm what applies. Nothing you paste is stored.