Find a free, HUD-approved housing counselor near you
HUD-approved agencies give free or low-cost guidance on buying, renting, paying your mortgage, and avoiding foreclosure. Here are the three ways to find one — by ZIP code, by phone, or by specialty — and how to confirm the agency is real before you share a single document.
Free vs. fee-based counseling, in plain language
- Almost always free: Foreclosure prevention counseling, rental and eviction help, homelessness assistance, and one-on-one budget or credit sessions at a HUD-approved agency. Agencies are funded by grants specifically so this help costs you nothing.
- Sometimes a modest fee: Group homebuyer education courses and certificates required by some down payment assistance programs can carry a fee — usually $25 to $125. HUD rules require agencies to disclose any fee up front, in writing, and to waive it if you can't afford it.
- Never a fee: You should never pay for a referral, for a loan modification application, or for a promise of a specific outcome. That is not counseling.
- Agency vs. counselor: A HUD-approved agency is the organization HUD has vetted and funded. A HUD-certified counselor is an individual who passed HUD's certification exam. You want both: a certified counselor working at an approved agency. Ask directly — it's a normal question.
Search online by ZIP code
Start with the two federal directories. Both draw on the same HUD-approved list, so an agency that appears in neither is not HUD-approved. NeighborWorks affiliates and your state housing finance agency fill in local gaps — especially when a specific assistance program requires a certificate from an approved provider.
HUD housing counseling agency search
The official federal directory of every HUD-approved agency in the country.
Best for: Anyone starting from scratch. This is the list that defines 'HUD-approved.'
- Open the HUD counselor search and choose search by ZIP code or by state.
- Filter by the services you need — foreclosure, pre-purchase, rental, or reverse mortgage.
- Note two or three agencies, not one. Availability varies week to week.
- Call and confirm the counselor you'll meet with is HUD-certified and the session is free.
CFPB find-a-counselor tool
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's view of the same HUD-approved list, with a cleaner interface and distance sorting.
Best for: Comparing several nearby agencies quickly, or when the HUD site is slow.
- Enter your ZIP code and review results sorted by distance.
- Expand an agency to see languages spoken and the exact services offered.
- Cross-check any agency you find elsewhere against this list before engaging.
NeighborWorks America network
A national network of local nonprofits, many of which are also HUD-approved and run down payment assistance programs directly.
Best for: Filling local gaps when the nearest HUD agency is far away, or when you want help and money from the same place.
- Use the network directory to find the affiliate serving your county.
- Ask whether they administer local down payment or repair grants in addition to counseling.
Your state housing finance agency
Every state has an HFA that funds first-time buyer programs and maintains its own list of approved education providers.
Best for: When a down payment assistance program requires a specific certificate that a generic course won't satisfy.
- Find your state's HFA and open its homebuyer education page.
- Confirm which provider's certificate the program you want will accept before you pay for or complete a course.
Call now if you need help today
HUD housing counseling referral line
Anyone who wants to be connected to the nearest HUD-approved agency — buyers, renters, homeowners, and reverse mortgage borrowers. This is a referral line, not a counseling session.
Automated 24/7; live referrals during business hours.
Call (800) 569-4287Homeowner's HOPE Hotline (995-HOPE)
Homeowners who are behind on payments, facing foreclosure, or expecting to miss a payment soon. You are connected to a HUD-approved counselor on the call, free, in English and Spanish with interpretation for other languages.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call (888) 995-4673If you have received a notice of default, a foreclosure filing, or a sale date, call the HOPE hotline first and keep talking to your loan servicer at the same time. Counseling does not pause a foreclosure by itself, but a counselor can request time, document your file, and submit a loss-mitigation package the servicer must review. The earlier you call, the more options remain open.
Specialty and language filters
Agencies specialize. Filtering by the help you actually need is the difference between a useful first call and a referral to somewhere else.
Foreclosure and delinquency
Ask for a foreclosure prevention or loss-mitigation counselor. They review your servicer's options — forbearance, repayment plan, modification, partial claim — and submit the package on your behalf. Always free.
Search agencies for thisPre-purchase and first-time buyer
Covers budget, credit, loan programs, and the certificate many assistance programs require. Confirm the certificate is accepted by your specific program before enrolling.
Search agencies for thisRental and eviction
Tenant rights, rental assistance applications, lease disputes, and referrals to local emergency rent funds.
Search agencies for thisReverse mortgage (HECM)
A HUD-approved HECM counseling session is legally required before you can close a reverse mortgage. Only counselors on HUD's HECM roster can issue that certificate.
Search agencies for thisCredit and budget repair
One-on-one sessions to build a payment plan, dispute errors, and set a realistic savings target. Distinct from for-profit credit repair, which charges for the same work.
Search agencies for thisLanguage access
Both the HUD and CFPB directories list the languages each agency speaks. Federally funded agencies must provide meaningful access to people with limited English proficiency, including free interpretation — you do not have to bring your own translator.
Search agencies for thisScreen for scams before you sign anything
Foreclosure rescue fraud targets people under time pressure. Any one of these is enough to walk away — you do not need to be certain, and you do not owe them an explanation.
They ask you to sign over your deed or transfer title
No legitimate counselor ever needs ownership of your home. Deed transfer is the core move in equity-stripping fraud — you keep the debt and lose the house.
They tell you to stop talking to your lender or servicer
Cutting off servicer contact destroys your loss-mitigation options and lets the foreclosure clock run uninterrupted. A real counselor works with your servicer, not around it.
They demand a large upfront payment, especially by wire, gift card, or crypto
Advance fees for loan modification help are illegal in most circumstances, and untraceable payment methods exist to prevent recovery. HUD-approved foreclosure counseling is free.
They guarantee a specific result
No one can promise a modification approval or a stopped sale. Guarantees are a sales tactic, not a service.
They ask you to send mortgage payments to them instead of your servicer
Your loan goes unpaid while they collect. This accelerates foreclosure rather than preventing it.
They pressure you to sign documents you haven't read or can't keep a copy of
Legitimate agencies give you time, written disclosures, and copies of everything you sign.
If you spot a red flag
- Stop communicating and do not send money or documents.
- Verify the agency against the HUD or CFPB directory — if it isn't listed, it isn't HUD-approved.
- Report it to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint and to your state attorney general.
- Call the HOPE hotline to get connected with a real counselor immediately.
Common questions
Keep going
HomeApproach is not a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and does not provide counseling. This page is educational and points to the official federal directories and hotlines. Fee rules, hotline hours, and agency availability can change — verify directly with HUD or the agency.