# Hardship Letter for a Mortgage or Lender: Example and Format > Write a hardship letter to your mortgage servicer or lender: what happened, the numbers now, the help you are asking for, a sample letter and what to attach. Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/hardship-letter # I'm behind on my mortgage and the servicer wants a hardship letter with my application. Bring what happened and when, your income before and after, and the help you want. HidenGPT's Anything format turns your facts into a one-page hardship letter to the servicer or lender, with the loan number and dates where they belong. It uses your real figures, nothing rounded, and leaves the decision about options to you and a housing counselor. Updated October 15, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team Try it with your own details Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line ## How to do it in HidenGPT - 01 Call or log in to your servicer first and ask for its mortgage assistance application and document checklist, because many servicers want the letter as part of that package. - 02 Pick Anything under “Use it for”; this page sets Length to Enter a word count with 350 and Tone to Formal. Write the facts in the main box: the event, the date, income before and after, what you have already paid and the help you are asking for. - 03 Check every figure in the draft against your pay stubs, benefit letters and bank statements, and delete anything that sounds bigger or vaguer than what happened. - 04 Sign it, add the loan number to every page, send it with the application the way the servicer asks, and keep a copy and a note of the date and the person you spoke to. [Anything](https://hidengpt.com/tools/freeform): Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it. ## What the servicer is looking for A hardship letter is read by someone who has to answer three questions: what happened, is it temporary or lasting, and can this household pay something going forward. Write so those answers can be found in a minute. The parts, in order: - Header: your name, the property address, the loan or account number, the date. - The event, in one or two sentences: job loss, reduced hours, illness, divorce, a death in the family, a disaster, a payment that jumped. Give the date it started. - The numbers: monthly income before and after, and anything that changed on the cost side, such as medical bills. - What you have done: payments made, expenses cut, a new job, benefits applied for. - Temporary or lasting: when you expect things to settle, if you know. If you do not know, say so. - The request: the kind of help you are asking for, such as a repayment plan, forbearance or a modification, or simply that they review you for every option. - Attachments: a short list of what is enclosed. One page is the usual target. Specific, checkable facts carry more weight than feelings, but one sentence on why the home matters to you is fine. ## Example hardship letter for a mortgage Written from the example request. The names, servicer and figures are made up; the body is about 200 words. “Angela and Marcus Brooks [Property address] Loan number: [number] October 15, 2026 Dear Lakeshore Home Loans Loss Mitigation Team, We are writing to ask for help with our mortgage after a loss of income. On June 30, 2026, I was laid off from my job as a dental office manager when the practice closed. My income went from $4,850 a month to $2,310 in unemployment benefits. My husband's income as a bus driver, $2,900 a month, did not change. Our household income fell from $7,750 to $5,210 a month. We used our savings to pay the mortgage in full through August. We missed the September and October payments. We have cancelled cable and one phone line and sold our second car. On October 6 I started a new job as an office manager at $4,100 a month. My first paycheck arrives October 24, and our household income will then be $7,000 a month. We believe we can make our regular payment again from November and can pay something toward the missed amount. We are asking to be reviewed for a repayment plan or a loan modification, and for any other option you offer. Enclosed: completed assistance application, the layoff letter, two months of unemployment statements, my new offer letter, two months of bank statements and our 2025 tax return. Sincerely, Angela Brooks Marcus Brooks [Phone] [Email]” The totals add up, the dates match the attachments and the letter says what the household can pay, not only what went wrong. ## Lenders other than a mortgage: cards, car loans, medical bills The same shape works for a credit card issuer, a car lender, a personal loan or a hospital billing office. Three differences: Name the account the way the creditor does. Use the last four digits of the card or the account number on the statement, never the full card number in an email. Ask for something specific the creditor can say yes to: a lower payment for six months, a pause, a payment plan on a medical bill, or a review for a hardship program if they have one. Keep the promises small. Offer the amount you know you can pay every month. A plan you keep is worth more than a bigger number you miss in March. For a rent shortfall, a short, dated letter to the landlord or property manager follows the same order: what happened, what you can pay now, when you expect to be current. ## What to cut, and where to get help Cut these from any draft: - Long apologies and pleading. One sentence of regret is enough. - Blame aimed at the employer, an ex-spouse or the bank. - Income you hope to have. Write what is confirmed, such as a signed offer letter. - Rounded or guessed numbers. If the servicer finds a figure that does not match a statement, the whole letter loses weight. - Private medical detail beyond what explains the costs. Before: “We have been going through an extremely difficult time and are doing everything we possibly can to stay afloat.” After: “Our household income fell from $7,750 to $5,210 a month on June 30.” If you are behind on a mortgage or worried about foreclosure, a housing counselor can help you choose what to ask for and check the package before you send it. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's “Find a housing counselor” search lists HUD-approved agencies and says they often help at little or no cost. Ask your servicer, in writing, to confirm that it received your application, and keep every reply. ## Not the right tool if - Immigration hardship statements, such as a waiver based on hardship to a spouse. Those follow government rules and evidence standards; an immigration lawyer or accredited representative should guide them. - Bankruptcy, foreclosure defense or a lawsuit from a creditor. Talk to a lawyer or a legal aid office. - Making a situation sound worse than it is. The draft uses your figures only, and a lender checks them against your documents. ## Other ways to do it A HUD-approved housing counselor The right first call if you are behind on a mortgage. They know what servicers ask for and can review the whole package. The servicer's own hardship form Some servicers ask you to explain the hardship in a box on the application. If the form is enough, you may not need a separate letter. ChatGPT or another chatbot Quick for a first pass. Check every number it writes, since a chatbot may round or invent figures to fill a gap. ## Questions ### What should a hardship letter say? It should say what happened and when, how your income and costs changed, what you have done since, whether the problem is temporary, and what help you are asking for. End with a list of the documents you attach. ### How long should a hardship letter be? One page is the usual target, about 250 to 400 words as a rule of thumb. The person reviewing it needs the facts quickly, and your documents carry the detail. ### What counts as a hardship for a mortgage? Common reasons are job loss or reduced income, illness or disability, divorce, the death of a borrower or earner, a disaster, and a large payment increase. Your servicer decides what it accepts, so ask what it needs from you. ### Should I send a hardship letter before I miss a payment? Yes, if you can see a missed payment coming, contact the servicer early and ask what it needs. Earlier contact usually leaves more options open than waiting until you are several months behind. ### Can I write a hardship letter to a credit card company? Yes. Use the same order, name the account by its last four digits, and ask for one specific change such as a lower payment for six months. Some card issuers run hardship programs and can tell you what they need by phone. ### Is it okay to use AI to write a hardship letter? Yes, if every fact and figure is yours. HidenGPT drafts from what you type and marks missing details as placeholders; you check each number against your documents, change anything that is not true and sign it. ### Can I try it before I pay? Yes. 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