Who to call about a Houston foreclosure

Foreclosure, Tips

Please read this first. Houston Foreclosure Help is an educational website. We are not a law firm, not a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, and not a mortgage servicer. We do not take your case, call your bank for you, or provide legal representation. The organizations below do that work. This page is not legal advice.

Updated September 2026. Educational only — not legal advice.

If you cannot make the mortgage, the useful calls are the servicer, a free HUD-approved counselor, and — if a sale is posted or you were served with papers — legal aid or a Texas attorney. Start here. Do not pay an advance fee to a “foreclosure rescue” company. See how those scams usually look.

1. Your mortgage servicer

The phone number is on the monthly statement. Ask for loss mitigation. Have the loan number, sale date (if any), and a simple hardship sentence ready. Request the official application. Verbal promises do not stop a Texas first-Tuesday sale. Why that call is usually cheaper for them than a foreclosure — and what they still need from you: talk to your mortgage company.

If you are not sure who owns the loan:

Fannie Mae loan lookup: yourhome.fanniemae.com/calculators-tools/loan-lookup
Freddie Mac loan lookup: myhome.freddiemac.com

2. Free HUD-approved counselors in Houston

These agencies offer foreclosure-intervention counseling at no charge. Many speak Spanish. Call and say you are behind on a mortgage in the Houston area — name the county on the notice (Harris through Matagorda, including Walker and Austin County).

Avenue CDC — (713) 864-9099 — avenuecdc.org
Tejano Center — (713) 640-3743 — tejanocenter.org
Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation — (713) 674-0175 — fifthwardcrc.org
Houston Area Urban League — HUD-approved housing counseling; ask for foreclosure intervention — haul.org

Where the sale is called (13 counties, confirm your notice): Counties map.

Bring to the first counseling session (copies, not only phone photos): photo ID, the mortgage statement, every default or sale notice, last two pay stubs or proof of income, last two bank statements, and last year’s tax return if you have it. Say the sale date in the first sentence if you have one.

National numbers if local lines are busy:

Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline — 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) — 24/7
HUD counselor locator — 1-800-569-4287 — hud.gov housing counselor search

3. Legal aid and the courts

Lone Star Legal Aid (Houston and East Texas) — 1-800-733-8394 — lonestarlegal.org
Houston Volunteer Lawyers — makejusticehappen.org

Legal aid income limits apply. If you were served with a lawsuit (home equity, tax, or HOA), do not ignore the citation. A missed court date is how people lose extra rights.

4. Harris County and Texas housing programs

Harris County has offered a Foreclosure Assistance Fund (grants for eligible homeowners with a temporary hardship). Funds open and close. Ask a HUD counselor whether it is accepting applications, or start at ownthehou.org/resources.

The old Texas Homeowner Assistance Program (COVID-era THAP) is closed. Do not send documents to old THAP addresses.

Property-tax trouble is a different office: the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and, for tax-sale questions, the constable precinct on the notice. Tax sales are also first Tuesday; location is often the Bayou City Event Center. Dates: 2026 first Tuesdays.

5. This site does not take cases

Houston Foreclosure Help does not have a contact form and does not represent you. If a sale is this week, call a HUD counselor and legal aid the same day — the numbers above.

We will not: file an answer in court, call your servicer as your representative, collect a fee to stop a sale, or tell you to sign over the deed.

Scam checklist

No legitimate HUD counselor charges a large upfront fee to stop foreclosure.
No one can “erase” a Texas posted sale with a secret program you have to pay to join.
If someone asks you to deed the house to them this week, hang up and call legal aid.

Frequently asked questions

Who should I call first if the sale is next Tuesday?

The trustee/servicer, then a HUD counselor, then legal aid or a bankruptcy attorney if you are considering a filing. Do not wait on an email form.

I only speak Spanish. Where do I start?

See Ayuda en español. Avenue CDC and Tejano Center both work in Spanish. HUD’s locator can filter by language.

Is Houston Foreclosure Help a counseling agency?

No. We publish guides. The HUD-approved agencies named above are the counselors.