General education. Verify dates with your servicer, court, or attorney.

When the person reading is not the original borrower

Tenants, heirs, spouses, and family members need a separate path.

Occupancy, ownership, inheritance, probate, lease rights, marital interests, and authority to speak with a servicer can change who may act and what must be verified.

If you inherited or share an interest in the home

  • Ask the servicer for its successor-in-interest process and the exact documents it requires.
  • Gather the deed, death certificate, will or trust, probate papers, divorce order, and occupancy information that apply.
  • Do not sign a new loan, transfer, waiver, or assumption without understanding ownership and liability.
  • Use local probate, estate, family-law, or foreclosure counsel when authority or ownership is unclear.

If you are a tenant

  • Keep the lease, payment records, notices, and contact information for the landlord or property manager.
  • Verify whether a foreclosure sale actually occurred and who now claims ownership.
  • Do not move or redirect rent based only on an unverified letter or doorstep demand.
  • Ask local legal aid about notice, lease, eviction, relocation, and tenant-protection rules.

If you are helping someone

  • Let the homeowner control decisions and understand what you are doing.
  • Ask the servicer what written authorization is needed before it can discuss the account.
  • Do not enter the homeowner's sensitive data into this site or send it to an unverified helper.