Frequently Asked Questions

TXHAF is the Texas Homeowner Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to Texas homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage or related payments due to the pandemic.

The TXHAF funds are issued as grants that homeowners do not need to repay. The payments are made directly to the mortgage servicer or applicable property charge payee.

No. In order to be eligible for assistance, the homeowner must currently occupy the home as their primary residence.

Please refer to this chart to compare the programs and determine which one is best for your household.

Mortgage Program

• Provides assistance to eligible Texas homeowners with qualified hardships to pay past due mortgage payments and, in some cases, up to three (3) months of future payments, including eligible amounts advanced by a mortgage servicer.
• Maximum assistance of $65,000 per household.

Property Charges

• Provides assistance to eligible Texas homeowners with qualified hardships to pay past due property taxes, property insurance and past due mortgage statement, property tax statement, insurance statement, and/or homeowner/condo association fees.
• Maximum assistance of $65,000 per household.

Utility Payment Assistance

• Provides assistance to eligible Texas homeowners with qualified hardships to pay past due utility bills and up to three (3) months of prospective payments.
• Of the maximum $65,000 available per household, up to $10,000 can be used for utility assistance (inclusive of past due balance and prospective assistance).
• Eligible utilities include electricity, gas, propane, water, and wastewater.

Below are examples of documents that homeowners are required to submit with the application:

• Identification card
• Mortgage statement
• Proof of occupancy, such as a utility bill
• Income documentation, such as pay stubs
• Signed program documents
• Document(s) noting a specific foreclosure sale date, when applicable

Frequently, a loan servicer will collect property tax and insurance payments from the homeowner and maintain them in an “impound” or “escrow” account. An “escrow advance” is when the loan servicer pays these fees on behalf of the homeowner when there are not enough funds in the escrow account to do so.

A maximum of $65,000 is available per household to go towards property charges, including escrow advances.

TXHAF funds can help qualified homeowners catch up on late payments on their mortgage, property tax, property insurance, homeowner/condo association fees, and utilities. Some applicants may also be eligible for up to three (3) months of future mortgage payment assistance.

The TXHAF program currently does not cover expenses such as home repairs and does not cover home equity loans.

• Single-family (attached or detached) property
• Condominium unit
• 1 to 4-unit property where homeowner lives in a unit as their primary residence
• Manufactured home permanently affixed to real property and taxed as real estate
• Mobile home not permanently affixed to real property

For any of the above property types, the original principal balance of the mortgage must not be more than the conforming loan limit.

Some applicants may be eligible for up to three (3) months of future mortgage payment assistance.

Households can reapply for each of the following types of assistance by submitting a new application through the application portal, as long as the total amount of TXHAF assistance received does not exceed $65,000. Reapplying will require a new application and all documents must be resubmitted.

• Mortgage
• Property Tax
• Property Insurance
• Homeowner’s Association (HOA) Fees
• Electric
• Natural Gas
• Propane
• Water and Wastewater

Please note that priority will be given to new applicants who have not previously received aid from the Texas Homeowner Assistance program.

If you are reapplying and have received assistance before, your case will undergo review after all first-time applicants have been assisted. The case auditing team will initiate application reviews only if there are available funds after assisting first-time applicants. Currently, there is no estimated timeline for when these cases will be reviewed.

We strongly encourage all existing applicants to log in to the application portal weekly to check their case status and ensure that any outdated documents are promptly updated.

For assistance and questions, please contact the call center at 1-833-651-3874.

Texas homeowners may be eligible for assistance through TXHAF if they meet the following:

• Have fallen behind on one or more payments: mortgage, property tax, property insurance, homeowner/condo association fees, utility payments.
• Household income at or below 100% Area Median Income (AMI) or 100% of the median income for the United States, whichever is greater. Check your AMI here.
• Own and occupy their home in Texas as their primary residence.
• Experienced a qualified financial hardship after January 21, 2020 and before April 10, 2023, such as lost income or increased expenses due to the pandemic.
• The mortgage loan has to be in the name of a natural person, not an LLC, LP, or business.

If you qualify for the program and you can continue making your monthly mortgage payments after receiving program assistance, then the program will provide funding to “Reinstate” your mortgage. “Reinstate” means pay the total past due amount.

If you qualify for the program and you cannot afford to continue making your monthly mortgage payments after receiving program assistance, then the program will provide funding to “Reinstate” your mortgage. Additionally the program will provide up to three months of monthly payment assistance to qualified households.

If you cannot afford to continue making your monthly mortgage payments, please contact a housing counselor and/or your loan servicer to explore available options.

For full details about TXHAF Mortgage Reinstatement and Monthly Payment Assistance, please see the Policy Manual.

“Forbearance” is when your mortgage servicer allows you to pause or reduce your mortgage payments for a period of time. Homeowners in forbearance are encouraged to contact their loan servicers to explore options to exit forbearance. Homeowners exiting forbearance are eligible for TXHAF assistance.

Households are not allowed to receive duplicate payments for the same expense for the same time period.

If you have a mortgage, the maximum amount of the mortgage loan at origination must be at or below the Maximum conforming loan limit secured by a single-family residence, a mortgage secured by a two-family residence, a mortgage secured by a three-family residence, or a mortgage secured by a four-family residence, as determined and adjusted annually under section 302(b)(2) of the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act (12 U.S.C. 1717(b)(2)) and section 305(a)(2) of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act (12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2)). A History of Conforming (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) Loan Limits (hsh.com).

Applicants should contact your property tax lender and request a statement that breaks down the tax years. Only statements that show that the property taxes that were paid by the property tax lender according to these qualifications will qualify for review of your application.

Property tax loans will qualify if the property tax years are from January 1, 2016 to current. Property tax loans that include tax years prior to January 1, 2016, will not be eligible.
OR
Property tax loans must have become delinquent on or after January 1, 2019, and on or before May 11, 2023. Property tax loans that were delinquent before January 1, 2019, and after May 11, 2023, will not be eligible.

Households can reapply for each of the following types of assistance by submitting a new application through the application portal, as long as the total amount of TXHAF assistance received does not exceed $65,000. Reapplying will require a new application and all documents must be resubmitted.

• Mortgage
• Property Tax
• Property Insurance
• Homeowner’s Association (HOA) Fees
• Electric
• Natural Gas
• Propane
• Water and Wastewater

Please note that priority will be given to new applicants who have not previously received aid from the Texas Homeowner Assistance program.

If you are reapplying and have received assistance before, your case will undergo review after all first-time applicants have been assisted. The case auditing team will initiate application reviews only if there are available funds after assisting first-time applicants. Currently, there is no estimated timeline for when these cases will be reviewed.

We strongly encourage all existing applicants to log in to the application portal weekly to check their case status and ensure that any outdated documents are promptly updated.

For assistance and questions, please contact the call center at 1-833-651-3874.

If you think your application was mistakenly denied, you have the option to file an appeal within 30 days from the date of denial. To initiate the appeal process, simply log back into the Texas Homeowner Assistance portal and click on the Appeals button found on the Case Summary Screen.

When submitting an appeal, it is important to provide additional facts or evidence to support your case. Ensure that your appeal includes a description explaining why it should be reconsidered, and remember to upload any relevant documentation in the Other Documents section within the Documents tab.

If you have issues with uploading documents or submitting an appeal, contact the call center for assistance at 1-833-651-3874 Monday-Friday • 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. CST.

Priority is given to those who are at risk of having utilities disconnected, as evidenced by a disconnect notice from the utility.

If your application is pending, please contact the TXHAF call center (1-833-651-3874) for instructions on adding the disconnect notice to your application so we can prioritize your application.

If your application was recently approved, we encourage you to contact your utility provider directly to request they delay the disconnection. You can log into the application portal at any time to view your approval status and amount of assistance approved and share the information with your utility provider. Please note payment can take up to 21 days after approval.

If your application is pending, we encourage you to contact your utility provider directly to discuss options for past-due payments, and to let them know you applied for assistance. You can log in to the application portal at any time to view and share your case number and status.

Once your application is approved, you can log into the application portal at any time to view your approval status and amount of assistance approved and share the information with your utility provider. Please note payment can take up to 21 days after approval.

Once a homeowner’s application is approved, payment is sent directly to the mortgage servicer, property tax authority, insurance company, homeowner/condo association, or utility provider.

Payment is made by either ACH/direct deposit or check.

TXHAF is not able to make payments directly to homeowners.

After you submit your application, it will be carefully reviewed to see if it meets program eligibility requirements. Mortgage details will be confirmed with your mortgage servicer. If any documents or information is missing from your application, you will be contacted and asked to provide it. Once your application review is completed, you will be notified whether you qualify for program assistance. Application review times can vary. Homeowners can log into the portal at any time to check the status of their applications.

No. The program cannot reimburse homeowners for payments made. Program assistance is only available to help homeowners with past-due payments and, if eligible, up to three (3) months of future payment assistance.

Payments returned by a mortgage servicer, tax authority, HOA, insurance company, or utility provider can be sent via check or ACH payment and MUST include the Client Name and Case ID number.

By Check
Checks must be mailed to the address found on the check and made out to Yardi Systems, Inc. Please include the homeowner’s name, case number, and property address with the returned check.

By ACH Payment
Mortgage Servicers who are enrolled to receive ACH payments may be able to return funds by ACH. Please include the Case ID number on returned payments.

Please call the Call Center at 1-833-651-3874 for additional questions about how to return funds

It is the responsibility of the payee (mortgage servicer, tax authority, HOA, insurance company, or utility provider) to apply assistance to the homeowner’s account for the eligible costs reflected in the payment.

Funds must be returned to Texas Homeowner Assistance under any of the following scenarios:

1. Duplication of Benefits: Texas Homeowner Assistance and another assistance program issued payments on behalf of the same homeowner, for the same expense, for the same period of time.
2. Incorrect Payee: The payee is ineligible to receive funds as they are not the homeowner’s provider.
3. Overpayment: Texas Homeowner Assistance issued payment in excess of the amount the applicant was entitled to receive based on the program policy.
4. Household Ineligible for program assistance for any reason including the following:
   1. The property was not physically located within the State of Texas.
   2. The homeowner was not able to demonstrate primary residency over the property for which assistance was requested.
   3. The homeowner was unable to demonstrate they were the homeowner/had a payment obligation.
   4. At the time the application was submitted, the applicant household earned an income above the 100% AMI or 100% of the median income for the United States, whichever is greater, for the family size provided.
5. The application contains misleading, unverifiable and/or conflicting information; or is ineligible due to not providing the required information to confirm program eligibility.
6. Previously disbursed assistance was not used for its intended purpose.

If you have been granted approval but do not agree with the approved amount, we encourage you to reach out to our Call Center. When contacting us, please have your case number and email address ready to provide.

Our dedicated call center team will be able to review the status of your case and escalate accordingly.

If the case is already in a payment approved status, the applicant may be required to initiate a new case or undergo requalification for additional funding.

However, if the case is still undergoing auditing, our call center team will escalate your inquiry to the auditors to explore if there are any additional options for assistance.

During the escalation process please make sure you revisit your portal and upload any relevant supporting documentation in the Other Documents section located on the Documents tab.

HAF Funds may be used to bring property tax loan payment plans fully current, with no delinquent amounts to protect lien position. HAF does not pay off property tax loans.

A reinstatement quote (not payoff statement) will need to be requested from the property tax lender and the following information must be on the statement:

• Origination date of the loan
• Delinquency date of the loan
• Tax years covered by the property tax loan
• Reinstatement Amount

One of these statements must be verified in order to be eligible for property tax loan assistance.

• Property tax loans will qualify if the property tax years are from January 1, 2016 to current. (Property tax loans that include tax years prior to January 1, 2016 will not be eligible) OR
• Property tax loans must have become delinquent on or after January 1, 2019. (Property tax loans that were delinquent prior to January 1, 2019 will not be eligible.)