TL;DR
- If you’re worried about missing a mortgage payment or are already behind, contact your mortgage servicer right away.
- A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you prepare for that conversation and understand your options.
- Forbearance pauses or reduces payments temporarily; it does not erase them. Ask what repayment would require afterward.
- Available options depend on your loan and circumstances. Calling or receiving counseling does not guarantee approval.
If your next mortgage payment looks out of reach, you do not need to choose between selling your Austin-area home and finding a new loan before asking for help. Start with the company handling your mortgage payments—your mortgage servicer—and a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recommends contacting your servicer right away, whether you are worried about missing a payment or already behind.
The immediate benefit is information and time to act: you can learn what your servicer will consider and what it needs from you. Waiting leaves those questions unanswered while the payment problem continues. Neither a call nor an application guarantees relief.
A temporary income loss: what early contact changes
Consider a hypothetical Austin-area homeowner whose income will be interrupted and who cannot make the next full mortgage payment. They expect the disruption to be temporary, but they have not learned which assistance options their servicer will consider.
If they contact the servicer now, they can explain the hardship, ask which documents to provide, and find out what options may be available for their loan. A counselor can help them prepare and understand the response. If they take no action, they still face the same payment problem without that information. CFPB’s guidance supports making contact now; it does not establish which solution this homeowner will receive.
Suppose the servicer offers forbearance. That means a limited period of paused or reduced payments, not forgiveness of those payments. Before choosing it, the homeowner needs to understand both the temporary arrangement and how the unpaid amounts would be handled afterward. Those are essential parts of the decision, as CFPB’s explanation of forbearance and modification makes clear.
If income resumes as expected, a temporary arrangement may fit—provided its later repayment requirements also fit the household’s budget. If the income reduction lasts, temporary relief alone may leave the ongoing payment problem unresolved. That change calls for another discussion of available options, rather than assuming the original plan will work.
Prepare for the servicer call without delaying it
Use the servicer contact information on your mortgage statement. Explain what changed, which payment is at risk or already missed, and what you currently know about your income recovering. Be clear when the recovery date is uncertain.
Use these questions to turn the conversation into a next step:
- What options can you review for my loan and hardship? Individual loan terms, investor rules, hardship details, and timing control the servicer’s available options.
- What documents do you need, how should I submit them, and by when? Write down the answer so you know what completing the request involves.
- What payment is expected while you review my request? Ask whether any payment change has actually been approved; do not treat a discussion as an approved arrangement.
- If you offer an arrangement, what happens during it and after it ends? Ask for the payment amounts, dates, treatment of unpaid amounts, and terms in writing so you can assess the full plan.
This checklist is a practical way to apply the federal guidance. You do not need to settle on a solution before making the first call. Ask the servicer what information is missing, then use the counselor’s help to organize your next steps.
Use counseling to understand the choices
A HUD-approved housing counseling agency is an agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. CFPB directs homeowners to these agencies for help talking to their mortgage servicer and understanding options. Start with CFPB’s Help for homeowners page and follow its housing-counseling resources to locate a HUD-approved agency in your area.
Bring your questions and any proposed terms to the counselor. Ask for help understanding what the arrangement would require from your household, including after temporary relief ends. Counseling support is not a guarantee that the servicer will approve a workout—an arrangement intended to address the payment problem.
A loan modification changes the loan’s terms; forbearance pauses or reduces payments for a limited time. Both are discussion topics, not assured outcomes. Refinancing, selling, or another approach also needs its own review of your circumstances. The first call should establish what is possible for your loan, rather than commit you to an assumed solution.
Frequently asked questions
What does housing counseling cost?
CFPB’s homeowner help page says housing counselors can develop a tailored action plan and help work with your mortgage company at no cost. Its foreclosure-avoidance page describes counselor help as available at low or no cost. When contacting a HUD-approved agency, confirm the cost of the specific service you need.
Does this guidance mean Austin has a local mortgage-relief program for me?
No. These are federal consumer resources that apply nationally, including to Austin-area homeowners. They do not establish eligibility for a particular Austin lender’s, county office’s, or local program’s assistance. Use the CFPB counseling resources to find help reviewing your circumstances rather than assuming a local benefit is available.
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Avoid foreclosure.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Help for homeowners.
Both pages report a September 30, 2026 modification date and were checked October 12, 2026.
Recommended reading
After addressing the immediate payment problem, these guides may help with a related longer-term decision:
- If your concern involves a future adjustable-rate payment: An ARM Looks Cheaper Today. What If You Cannot Refinance?
- If you are considering a move: Need to Move From an Austin Home? Check the Rental Path Before You List. This addresses a voluntary housing decision, not approval for mortgage assistance.
If selling becomes part of your housing decision, contact Vladimir Baibus · ATXCasa, LPT Realty for help reviewing your Austin-area home’s potential sale and your next housing options. Bring the timing and terms discussed with your servicer so the housing conversation starts from your actual constraints.