Want
advice
on buying a home, renting, default, foreclosure avoidance, credit
issues or reverse mortgages? HUD
sponsors housing counseling agencies throughout the country to provide
free
or low cost advice.
Search
online for a housing counseling
agency near you, or call HUD's interactive voice system at:
(800) 569-4287.
If
you are facing foreclosure and want the assistance of a housing
counselor, search the list of Foreclosure
Avoidance Counselors.
Consumer
Fees for Housing Counseling
Foreclosure
prevention counseling and homeless counseling services are available
free of charge through HUD's Housing Counseling Program. Housing
Counseling agencies participating in HUD's Housing Counseling Program
are not permitted to charge consumers for these specific housing
counseling services. Counseling recipients should not pay for these
services. However,
housing counseling agencies are permitted to charge reasonable and
customary fees for other forms of housing counseling and education
services, including pre-purchase, reverse mortgage, rental, and
non-delinquency post-purchase counseling services, provided certain
conditions are met:
-
Agencies must provide counseling without charge to persons who
demonstrate they cannot afford the fees;
- Agencies
must inform clients of the fee structure in advance of providing
services;
- Fees
must be commensurate with the level of services provided.
You should contact your local HUD office
if you encounter housing counseling agencies that you believe are
not complying with these requirements.
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