Hardship letter to your lender, landlord or creditor
When a job loss, illness or divorce makes payments hard, a hardship letter asks your lender, landlord or creditor for help such as a payment plan, forbearance or a loan modification. This prompt has your todo.is agent write an honest, organized letter: what happened, when, your current income and costs, and the exact help you are asking for.
The prompt
- Write a hardship letter to [LENDER, LANDLORD OR CREDITOR NAME] about [ACCOUNT, LOAN OR LEASE NUMBER]. What happened: [THE EVENT AND WHEN, E.G. JOB LOSS IN JUNE]. My situation now: [CURRENT INCOME AND MAIN MONTHLY COSTS]. What I am asking for: [PAYMENT PLAN, REDUCED PAYMENTS, FORBEARANCE, LOAN MODIFICATION...]. Why I can recover: [NEW JOB, BENEFITS, TIMELINE]. Keep it to one page, honest and calm, in plain language, with the facts in order and a short list of the documents I am attaching: [DOCUMENTS]. Do not exaggerate or add anything I did not say. Give me a Word file and a PDF to sign, and tell me which documents lenders usually ask for with this type of request.
What to change
- [LENDER, LANDLORD OR CREDITOR NAME]: E.g. "Northbridge Mortgage Services" or "my landlord, Mr Patel".
- [ACCOUNT, LOAN OR LEASE NUMBER]: Your reference number, so they can find your file.
- [THE EVENT AND WHEN, E.G. JOB LOSS IN JUNE]: Be specific and brief, e.g. "laid off on 15 June 2026; my partner's hours were cut in July".
- [CURRENT INCOME AND MAIN MONTHLY COSTS]: E.g. "income $2,900/month from unemployment and part-time work; mortgage $1,850, utilities $260, car $310".
- [PAYMENT PLAN, REDUCED PAYMENTS, FORBEARANCE, LOAN MODIFICATION...]: The help you want. If you don't know the options, write "suggest options".
- [NEW JOB, BENEFITS, TIMELINE]: E.g. "I start a new full-time job on 1 December".
- [DOCUMENTS]: E.g. "termination letter, unemployment award, last 2 bank statements, new job offer".
Example result
- Hardship letter (mortgage)
- Carlos and Elena Mendes
- 71 Willow Lane, Charlotte, NC 28205
- Loan number: 88421-07
- 5 October 2026
- Northbridge Mortgage Services
- Loss Mitigation Department
- Dear Loss Mitigation Team,
- I am writing to explain a financial hardship and to ask for temporary help with our mortgage payments.
- What happened
- On 15 June 2026 I was laid off when my employer closed its Charlotte warehouse. In July, my wife's hours at the clinic were reduced from 40 to 24 per week. We kept up our payments using savings until September, but those savings are now used up.
- Our situation now
- • Household income: about $2,900 per month (unemployment benefits and Elena's part-time pay)
- • Mortgage payment: $1,850 per month
- • Other essential costs: utilities $260, car payment $310, groceries and insurance
- What we are asking for
- We ask for a reduced payment for three months, from October to December, or another option you think fits our situation, such as forbearance or a repayment plan.
- Why this is temporary
- I have accepted a full-time job that starts on 1 December 2026. With that income, we can return to full payments from January and catch up on any missed amount.
- We want to keep our home and to keep paying what we owe. I have attached the documents listed below.
- Sincerely,
- Carlos Mendes and Elena Mendes
- Attached: layoff letter, unemployment benefit letter, two recent bank statements, signed job offer
- Documents lenders often ask for
- • Proof of the hardship (layoff letter, medical bills, divorce papers)
- • Recent pay stubs or benefit letters
- • Bank statements and a monthly budget
- • Tax returns for some programs
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in what happened, your numbers and the help you want.
- Paste it into todo.is and attach your documents, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp.
- Your agent writes a one-page letter and lists the documents to include.
- Read it carefully, sign it, and send it with your documents to the right department.
Tips for a better result
- Call your lender or landlord early, before you miss payments if you can. Help is usually easier to get before an account is far behind.
- Send it to the right team. For mortgages this is often called loss mitigation; ask your agent to find the contact on the lender's website.
- Every fact must be true and match your documents. Lenders check.
- Free housing or debt counseling services can help you negotiate. Ask your agent to find official, non-profit options near you.
- Ask your agent to track replies: "check my Gmail every Monday for a reply from Northbridge and tell me".
hardship letter: FAQ
- What should a hardship letter include? What happened and when, how it affects your ability to pay, your current income and costs, what help you want, and why you expect to recover.
- How long should a hardship letter be? One page is best. Lenders read many of them, so short and well organized works better.
- Will a hardship letter stop foreclosure or eviction? Not by itself. It supports a request for help, which the lender or landlord decides. For urgent cases, contact a housing counselor or legal aid service.
- Is my information private? Your files stay in your own todo.is agent workspace and only your agent uses them to write the letter.
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