If your mortgage payment has become unaffordable, do not wait for a missed payment to force the next decision. First identify exactly what changed, then verify the figures with your servicer, explain your hardship, and request a review of the options available for your specific loan. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help at no or little cost, while an attorney may be necessary if foreclosure or court action is imminent.
Start with a written triage plan
Set aside your latest mortgage statement, the previous statement, every payment-change notice, your tax and insurance bills, and any letters about delinquency or foreclosure. Write down the amount you can realistically pay each month after essential living expenses. This is not a promise to the servicer; it is a figure to use when discussing workable arrangements.
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- Mark the first date the higher payment is due. Note whether the change has already taken effect or is scheduled for a future installment.
- Separate the payment into parts. Record principal and interest, the escrow amount, fees, late charges, and any other line items shown.
- Protect the next payment if possible. If paying the full amount would leave you unable to cover food, utilities, insurance, or other essentials, do not make an unsupported promise. Contact the servicer before sending an amount you cannot sustain.
- Open and preserve every notice. Keep a dated file—digital or paper—with statements, call notes, application packages, proof of submission, and written decisions.
Loan type, investor, servicer, finances, and state law affect which remedies are available. Treat any discussion of an option as a request for review, not a guarantee that you qualify.
Find out why the payment changed
Compare the latest itemized statement with the prior one. A higher total does not necessarily mean your interest rate changed; several components can move independently.
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Escrow for property taxes or homeowners insurance
If the servicer pays taxes or insurance from escrow, a new tax assessment, an insurance premium increase, or an escrow shortage can raise the monthly amount. Compare the servicer’s escrow analysis with the actual tax bill and insurance declarations page. Look for a shortage repayment amount added to future installments, not just a change in the projected annual bills.
Check for warning signs identified by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): a payment change that was not announced, a charge for force-placed insurance, or a notice that property taxes remain unpaid. Call the tax authority or insurer promptly to confirm whether the bill was paid. An unpaid tax bill or lapsed coverage can create consequences separate from the mortgage payment itself. If the servicer failed to make an escrow payment, document what the third party confirms and report the servicing problem in writing.
Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) reset
Read the rate-change notice and your loan terms. Confirm the current rate, the new rate, the estimated old and new payments, the index and margin used under the loan contract, and the date the new installment starts. CFPB guidance says an estimate for a first rate reset generally must arrive seven to eight months before the first payment at the new rate. For a later reset expected to change the payment, notice generally arrives two to four months beforehand. Those are general notice periods, not a promise that every loan or state follows the same schedule.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteUse the notice period to build a revised budget, ask the servicer about assistance, and assess whether replacing the loan is practical after considering eligibility, closing costs, and the risk of a new rate or term.
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Temporary buydown ending
A temporary buydown can make early payments lower than the payment calculated under the permanent note rate. When the subsidy ends, the scheduled payment rises. Compare the original closing documents with the current schedule so you know whether the increase is the planned step-up or an error.
An amount that does not reconcile
If none of these explanations fits, or a listed charge is mathematically wrong, ask the servicer for a line-by-line explanation and the documents used to calculate it. Save the representative’s name, the date, and a confirmation number.
Verify a suspected servicing error
A phone call can identify a problem, but it may not create the formal record needed to investigate it. If the servicer does not correct an apparent calculation, escrow, payment-application, or insurance error after you raise it, CFPB guidance allows a borrower to send a notice of error explaining what is wrong. Use the servicer’s designated address for error notices shown on your statement or website, not necessarily the address for payments.
Describe the disputed transaction precisely: identify the statement date, the amount, what you believe should have happened, and copies of supporting records. Keep the original documents. Continue monitoring statements while the servicer investigates, because sending a notice does not by itself cancel the obligation to make undisputed payments or stop foreclosure deadlines.
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Call the servicer before you miss a payment
The CFPB’s instruction is direct: “If you can’t pay your mortgage or are worried about missing a mortgage payment, call your mortgage servicer right away.” Use the telephone number printed on your mortgage statement and ask for a mortgage-assistance or loss-mitigation specialist.
Explain four things clearly:
- What caused the payment increase or your loss of affordability.
- Whether the hardship is temporary, likely to continue, or uncertain.
- Your household income, essential expenses, liquid assets, and other relevant obligations.
- The monthly amount you can pay without falling behind on necessities.
Ask the specialist for a complete list of options for this loan and investor. Request the application, the exact supporting documents, the submission method, and the deadline. Ask how long review normally takes, how to make payments during review, and what happens if a payment comes due before a decision. Obtain written confirmation of any arrangement; a verbal statement that “the account is noted” is not the same as an approved plan.
For every proposal, ask the servicer to show the effect on the payment, principal balance, interest, fees, loan term, and home equity. Ask what amount becomes due when any temporary relief ends. Requirements and outcomes vary, so do not rely on a generic description or assume an option is available because someone else received it.
Compare the assistance options you may hear about
| Possible option | What it may change | Questions to ask before agreeing |
|---|---|---|
| Refinancing | Replaces the existing loan with a new loan and payment; the rate, term, fees, and qualification standards can differ. | What are the interest rate, closing costs, monthly payment, total interest, break-even period, and consequences if property value or credit prevents approval? |
| Loan modification | May permanently change the rate, payment calculation, balance treatment, or term under an agreement with the servicer or investor. | Is any unpaid amount added to principal, deferred, forgiven, or otherwise settled? What is the new maturity date and total cost? |
| Repayment plan | Spreads past-due amounts over future installments while regular payments continue. | How much is the temporary increase, for how many months, and what happens if income changes again? |
| Forbearance | Temporarily reduces or pauses payments under an approved arrangement; it does not automatically erase the amounts that accrue. | When and how must the deferred amount be repaid—lump sum, higher payments, modification, or another method? Are interest and fees added? |
| Short sale | May allow a sale for less than the mortgage balance, subject to approval and the rules governing any remaining deficiency. | Will the servicer and investor approve the price, and what written terms address any unpaid balance, taxes, and moving timetable? |
| Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure | Transfers the property to the lender or investor to avoid a foreclosure sale, if accepted. | What happens to liens, a possible deficiency, relocation, credit reporting, and the date you must leave? |
These are possibilities a servicer might make available, not entitlements. The comparison that matters is specific to your loan: immediate payment, total balance and interest, treatment of missed amounts, fees, term, equity, documentation, whether you retain the home, and the payment due after temporary relief.
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Understand what happens if you can only send part of the payment
Do not assume a partial payment satisfies the installment or prevents delinquency. Depending on the circumstances and the servicer’s procedures, the money may be returned, credited, or held in a suspense account until enough arrives to make a full payment. Ask in advance how the amount will be handled, how much is currently due, and how earlier payments were applied.
If the servicer will not accept the partial amount, ask whether a repayment plan, modification, or another loss-mitigation review is available. Keep the funds separate so you can follow written instructions rather than sending money to an unverified party.
Use a HUD-approved housing counselor
A HUD-approved housing counseling agency can review your budget, explain the trade-offs in proposals, help assemble documents, and work with the servicer. CFPB describes this assistance as free or available at little or no cost. The CFPB mortgage-help resources provide a counselor locator and list HUD’s referral line at (800) 569-4287. The CFPB hardship guidance also lists the HOPE Hotline, (888) 995-HOPE (4673), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Verify phone details when you call because contact information can change.
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A counselor does not replace the servicer’s approval and cannot guarantee a modification. Give the counselor the same statements, notices, income records, and proposed-payment figures you gave the servicer so the advice is based on the actual account.
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Recognize foreclosure-rescue scams
- Do not pay an upfront fee for a promised foreclosure solution.
- Reject guarantees that a company can stop foreclosure or secure a specific loan change.
- Do not sign over the title or transfer ownership as a condition of “help.”
- Never redirect mortgage payments to anyone other than the servicer without independently confirming a formal change.
Use the number on your statement and a HUD-approved counselor instead of an unsolicited caller. A legitimate review may require documents and time; certainty of a particular result is a warning sign.
Escalate when the deadline is legal or the servicer will not fix the problem
If foreclosure is imminent, a sale date has been set, or you have been served court papers, contact a qualified attorney promptly. State foreclosure procedures and borrower protections differ, and a counselor may not be able to provide legal advice. Bring the complete account file and every deadline.
You can submit a complaint to the CFPB about a mortgage-servicing problem after attempting to resolve it with the servicer. A complaint may create another channel for a response, but CFPB cautions that submitting one does not automatically stop or delay foreclosure. Continue meeting court, notice, and servicer deadlines unless an attorney or written agreement says otherwise.
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- Today: Compare the two most recent statements, identify the changed line item, and record the first higher-payment date.
- Within one business day: Call the servicer using the statement number, request a loss-mitigation specialist, and ask for written explanations and application instructions.
- While gathering documents: Assemble pay records, benefit or self-employment income, monthly expenses, bank or asset information, tax and insurance bills, and hardship documentation. Do not omit debts or assets from a financial statement.
- Before accepting relief: Have the servicer or counselor show the new payment, balance, interest, fees, term, equity effect, and post-relief payment in writing.
- If figures remain wrong: Send a detailed notice of error to the designated address and retain proof of delivery.
- If a legal deadline is near: Contact an attorney immediately while continuing counselor and servicer contacts.
Acting early preserves more possible paths than waiting until repeated missed payments, a tax delinquency, or a foreclosure deadline limits the choices.
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