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Guide

What to Do If You Can’t Afford Your Rent or Mortgage Payment

By TheFinanceBase Team 8 min read

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If a housing payment is unaffordable, act before the due date: renters should contact the landlord and check current local rental assistance, while homeowners should call the mortgage servicer and request a mortgage-assistance application and loss-mitigation review. Keep every agreement in writing, use free housing counseling or legal aid, and treat any notice, lawsuit or foreclosure document as time-sensitive. Applying for help does not automatically stop an eviction or foreclosure, and local rules determine deadlines and protections.

Start with a 24-hour triage

Write down the amount due, the due date, the cash you can actually use, and whether the shortfall is temporary or likely to continue. Protect food, medication, utilities, transportation to work and other essentials while you make the housing plan. Gather your lease or mortgage statement, recent income information, bank statements, benefit records, notices, and a list of necessary monthly expenses. This information will make conversations with a landlord, servicer, counselor or legal-aid office more productive.

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Contact the decision-maker as soon as you know the payment may be missed. A call before the due date is not a guarantee of extra time, but it gives you the best chance to learn the available process. Ask what must be submitted, where it must be sent, and when a decision is expected. After every call, record the date, representative’s name, case number and promised follow-up, then confirm the substance by email, portal message or letter.

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If you cannot afford rent

Ask the landlord for a written catch-up plan

Tell the landlord the amount you can pay now, the reason for the shortfall, and when you expect your income to recover. Ask whether a written repayment plan is possible and whether late fees, partial payments or a different due date can be addressed. Do not rely on a verbal promise. The written agreement should identify the total balance, each payment amount, due date, payment method, treatment of new rent, and what happens if a payment is late.

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  1. Send a short message before or immediately after the missed payment explaining the hardship and proposing a realistic amount.
  2. Ask the landlord to confirm acceptance of the proposal in writing, including whether the arrangement changes any notice or filing already issued.
  3. Pay only amounts you can sustain while preserving essentials; an unrealistic promise can leave you in a deeper hole.
  4. Keep receipts, screenshots and copies of every exchange.

A repayment plan is a private agreement, not a universal legal protection. It may not cancel a notice or court case unless the landlord confirms that result and local law allows it.

Check current state and local assistance

State, county, city and tribal programs may help with back rent, utilities or other housing costs. Some programs also address moving costs, a security deposit or an application fee. Availability changes: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that many pandemic-era rental programs closed or stopped accepting applications, although some funds may remain. Use the current government or community-organization contact for your location and verify that applications are open before sending documents.

Question to ask a rental-assistance program Why it matters
What costs are covered? Funds may apply to back rent, future rent, utilities, moving costs, a deposit or an application fee, and not every program covers each category.
Is the application open now? Some programs maintain waiting lists or have stopped taking applications even when an information page remains online.
What documents are required? Knowing the list early helps you avoid losing time while a notice or court deadline approaches.
Does the landlord have to participate? A program may require landlord cooperation, direct payment to the landlord, or another payment arrangement.
Will applying pause an eviction? Do not assume it will. Ask the program and a local legal professional what, if anything, protects you while the application is pending.

Apply through the program’s stated channel and keep a confirmation number. If a program is closed, ask the administering agency or a local housing counselor about other active funds rather than paying a company that promises access.

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Respond immediately to a notice or lawsuit

Read every demand, notice, summons and complaint as soon as it arrives. The document may state a deadline to pay, move, file an answer or appear in court. Deadlines and required steps differ by state and locality, so a national checklist cannot replace local advice.

  • Call the court clerk and ask for the answer deadline, hearing date, mediation options and approved legal-referral resources.
  • Contact a local legal-aid organization or lawyer promptly, especially if you have been sued.
  • Bring the lease, payment history, landlord communications, notices and any assistance-application confirmation to the consultation.
  • Ask whether you should file a response even while seeking rental assistance. An application alone does not automatically stop an eviction.

Missing a deadline can limit your ability to raise defenses or negotiate, so do not wait for an assistance decision before learning what the court requires.

Use free housing and community help

HUD-certified housing counselors, local legal-aid offices and social-service organizations may help identify active programs and explain local tenant protections. Ask about cost before agreeing to any service; many counseling and legal-aid services are free or low cost for eligible households. A counselor cannot promise that you will keep the home, but can help you organize documents, understand a landlord’s proposal and locate the correct local agency.

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If you cannot afford a mortgage payment

Call the mortgage servicer, not a rescue company

Use the phone number on your monthly mortgage statement or the servicer’s official account portal. Explain whether the hardship is temporary or ongoing, what caused it, your current income, essential expenses and available assets. Ask for the mortgage-assistance application and the exact document list. Submit the requested material through the method the servicer specifies and keep proof of delivery.

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  1. Tell the servicer when you expect the hardship to end, if you can reasonably estimate it.
  2. Ask which loss-mitigation programs you may be evaluated for and whether a complete application must be received by a particular date.
  3. Request written confirmation that the application is complete, or a precise list of missing items.
  4. Continue opening and responding to servicer letters and portal messages while the review is pending.
  5. Ask how payments, fees and interest will be treated under each proposed option.

Eligibility, payment changes and approval are individualized. A servicer may offer one option, several options or none, depending on the loan, hardship, documents and applicable rules.

Understand the possible loss-mitigation paths

Option a servicer may consider When it may fit Questions to get answered in writing
Refinance Replacing the loan may be considered when qualification and market conditions permit. What rate, term, closing costs and new monthly payment would apply? Is qualification realistic with the current hardship?
Loan modification Changing the loan’s terms may reduce the payment or otherwise make it more affordable. How will the rate, term, principal, arrears, fees and total interest change?
Repayment plan Adding missed amounts to regular payments can fit a short-term interruption. How much higher will the payment be, for how long, and what happens if the higher payment is unaffordable?
Forbearance Temporarily reducing or pausing payments may address a short hardship. When is the paused amount due, and will it be repaid in a lump sum, installments, modification or another way? Does interest continue?
Short sale Selling the home for less than the mortgage balance may be considered when keeping it is not affordable. Who approves the sale, how are costs handled, and will any remaining balance be forgiven or still owed?
Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure Voluntarily transferring the home to the lender may be an alternative to a completed foreclosure in some cases. What happens to any remaining debt, moving timetable, tax consequences and eligibility for future housing?

Compare options using the payment you can sustain after the arrangement, not just the first-month payment. Consider whether the hardship is temporary or ongoing, whether your goal is to keep or leave the home, how missed payments and interest are handled, and every deadline in the written offer.

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Know what the 120-day rule does and does not mean

The CFPB reported in 2025 that, generally, the legal foreclosure process cannot start until a mortgage is at least 120 days delinquent. The period from the start of legal action to an actual sale varies by state and circumstances. The 120-day point is not permission to wait: early contact can open more choices, and protections may apply when a complete, timely loss-mitigation application is submitted. Ask the servicer and a local housing counselor how the rule applies to your loan and stage of delinquency.

Get counseling and legal advice

A HUD-approved housing counseling agency can explain servicer paperwork, help you compare proposals and communicate with the servicer. The CFPB lists the HOPE Hotline, (888) 995-HOPE (4673), as available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for housing-counseling help; verify the current contact details when you call. If foreclosure is imminent or legal papers have arrived, consult an attorney promptly. A counselor can help with options, but cannot replace legal advice about a filed case.

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Recognize foreclosure-rescue scams

Be cautious when someone contacts you unexpectedly or says a guaranteed result is available for an upfront fee. Warning signs identified by the CFPB include:

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  • Demanding payment before providing help or charging for a government decision.
  • Guaranteeing that foreclosure will be stopped.
  • Instructing you to stop paying the servicer or stop communicating with it.
  • Asking you to sign over the title, deed or ownership interest.
  • Telling you to send mortgage money to an individual, unfamiliar account or company instead of the servicer.

The CFPB’s mortgage-options guidance states: “You don’t have to pay anyone to help you avoid foreclosure.” Verify any organization independently, do not sign documents you do not understand, and let a HUD-approved counselor or attorney review a proposed agreement.

How local rules change the next step

Rental assistance, tenant protections, court procedures and foreclosure timelines depend on your state, county or city, the type of housing, the loan and the facts of the hardship. Identify your location before relying on a deadline or assuming a protection applies. Ask local legal aid or a housing counselor about notice requirements, court response dates, mediation, payment-plan rules and the current status of assistance funds.

Keep a single folder—digital or paper—with your lease or mortgage documents, notices, income records, applications, delivery confirmations, call notes and written agreements. If your phone number, email or mailing address changes, update the landlord, servicer, court and assistance agency so you do not miss a required response.

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A practical decision checklist

  • Renters: Contact the landlord, propose a realistic written plan, check open local programs, and seek legal advice immediately after a notice or lawsuit.
  • Homeowners: Call the servicer, request the assistance application, submit a complete package, compare written loss-mitigation terms and obtain counseling.
  • Everyone: Preserve essentials, document every conversation, verify local deadlines, and treat legal papers as urgent.
  • Safety: Reject guarantees, upfront-fee demands, title-transfer requests and instructions to redirect payments.

These steps improve your information and negotiation position, but no landlord, assistance program, servicer or counselor can guarantee a particular outcome. Keep pursuing local help and meet every confirmed deadline while your request is being reviewed.

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