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If you can't pay the rent or the mortgage, lost your job or face a utility shutoff: what to do first. Also what to do after a disaster or a scam, or if a family member is detained.
Stage 1 of 1
What to do first if you cannot pay, if you face eviction or if a disaster damaged your home.
15 guides in this stage
Featured guide 9 minute read
What to do if the heat goes out or your home gets dangerously hot: temperature rules, safe space heaters, carbon monoxide and help paying.
The most important thing
Never heat your home with a gas oven or use generators or grills inside.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Foreclosure: the process step by step How foreclosure works, the federal deadlines that protect you before the sale, and what you can still do: apply for help, short sale or deed in lieu. 12 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
If a family member is deported: money, papers and the house What to do with bank accounts, a power of attorney, the mortgage or lease and sending money when a family member is deported or leaves the country. 12 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
FEMA disaster assistance for renters and homeowners What FEMA assistance for individuals and households covers, how to apply, deadlines to register and appeal, and what mixed-status families can ask for. 10 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Emergency shelter and rapid rehousing: how to get help What HUD's homeless programs (ESG and the Continuum of Care) pay for, how to reach coordinated entry, what 211 does and what the rules say today. 11 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 The data behind these guides
The guides on Money problems cite these figures. They update when their sources publish new ones; what you see here is current.
See all the dataSources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024)
Stage 1 of 1
Keep going with the other guides on emergency, from the most read to the most specific.
Featured guide 12 minute read
How Chapters 7 and 13 differ, the homestead exemption, the required credit counseling course and how long to wait before another mortgage.
The most important thing
Chapter 7 wipes out many debts, but the mortgage lien stays on the home.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Divorce, separation or a death: who keeps the house What happens to the deed, the mortgage and the payments in a divorce, a separation or a death in the family, and what federal law protects for you. 13 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Power or gas shutoff notice: your protections and next steps If your power or gas is about to be shut off for non-payment: notice periods, health and extreme-weather protections, crisis help and how to complain. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Proving you own your home without a formal title Inherited home never transferred, contract for deed or mobile home: which papers prove it is yours and why they matter to FEMA, insurers and lenders. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Can't pay your rent: what to do and where to get help If you can't cover the rent: how to talk to your landlord, where to find rental assistance (211, local programs, HUD) and what an eviction requires. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 Tools
The calculators these guides use. Each one leaves you with a result you can use today.
How much is left for housing each month.
What you get → what is left
The steps to build or improve your credit.
What you get → steps in order
The documents you'll be asked for.
What you get → your document list
The rent that fits your budget.
What you get → rent that fits
Stage 1 of 1
Keep going with the other guides on emergency, from the most read to the most specific.
Featured guide 14 minute read
Can't pay your mortgage? Call your servicer, learn the options that exist, the federal rules that protect you and the rescue scams to avoid.
The most important thing
Call your loan servicer as soon as you know you cannot pay; answer its calls and ask about your options.
Verified on October 17, 2026
I was scammed: what to do in the first hours If you sent money or personal information to a scammer: who to call first, how to dispute a charge, where to report it and how to stop identity theft. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
I lost my job: unemployment, housing and health coverage If you lost your job: how to apply for unemployment, talk to your landlord or lender, keep your health coverage and rebuild your budget. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
After a hurricane, flood or fire: what to do What to do after a disaster: your home, flood or renters insurance claim, federal disaster aid, your mortgage and how to avoid scams. 16 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
A family member was detained: a plan to keep your home If a relative was detained: how to find them through official channels, protect the rent or mortgage, talk to the servicer and get free help. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 Frequently asked questions
Short answers taken from the guides on this topic; each one links the guide that explains it with its sources.
No. The CDC says never heat your house with a gas oven, because of the carbon monoxide risk. Dress warmly, gather the family in one room and, if you use a space heater, follow the safety rules.
Read the full guideIt depends on your state. The CFPB explains that the time between the start of foreclosure and the sale depends on your state's laws. What is federal: in general it cannot start before 120 days of delinquency.
Read the full guideIt depends on how the account is set up and what authorization you have. The CFPB explains options such as a convenience account or a power of attorney, and says that with a power of attorney the bank should honor the document and let the agent handle the account. Ask the bank what it needs and get free legal aid.
Read the full guideIt can. FEMA can give you help renting other housing if you had to leave, reimbursement for a short hotel stay and help with other needs, such as personal property or transportation. Repair of the home is for the owner.
Read the full guideThe full path with its steps in order, the calculators these guides use, and the agencies their rules come from.
The full path
This topic is part of a path with steps in order, so you know what to do first. Programs, counselors and free legal help. 8 steps in order.
See the pathEvery rule, number and date in these guides comes from what these agencies publish. Each guide links the exact page.
and 33 more official sources
How we make the guidesSwitch topics without leaving the library.