If you or someone in your household has become unemployed due to COVID and your income has gone down about 30%, you may qualify for the Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program (PMAP) through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).
To qualify, you must:
1) have an annual income below the limit set by HUD;
2) be a homeowner;
3) have mortgage payments that are at least 30 days late; and
4) need help with a first or second lien on your home.
You can submit the application and the required documents until September 30, 2020 online at https://pmap.phfa.org/ or by mail to P.O. Box 15530, Harrisburg, PA 17105-5530.
How much assistance can PMAP give me?
PMAP may be able to help with $1000 per month of missed mortgage payments between March 2020 and December 2020.
Can I apply for PMAP if I already have a forbearance plan with my mortgage company?
As of now, PHFA is not accepting PMAP applications from homeowners who currently have a forbearance plan with their mortgage companies. Advocacy organizations are working with PHFA to change the rules. However, there are several options for people who are still interested in PMAP:
1) Stay in forbearance and don’t apply for PMAP: you will have to pay back the missed payments at the end of the forbearance period.
2) Stay in forbearance and try to apply for PMAP anyway: PHFA may still deny your application. If you choose to take this chance, use the paper application since the online application requires you to confirm that you are not in a forbearance plan to proceed with the application.
3) Exit your forbearance plan and apply for PMAP: this option is risky because, if you are not able to resume your monthly payments, you must apply for another forbearance with your mortgage company before October 30, 2020 and there is no guarantee that you will be able to re-enter into a forbearance agreement. If you choose this option, you must request an end of your forbearance agreement with your mortgage company, wait 30 days after your next mortgage payment is due, and apply for PMAP. Even if you are approved for PMAP, you will only receive aid for the months you were not in a forbearance plan between March 2020 and December 2020.
For more information about applying to PMAP, you can call PHFA’s call center at 1-855-827-3466 on weekdays between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and follow the prompts for CARES assistance for homeowners.
Are mortgage foreclosure cases moving forward in Philadelphia during the pandemic?
All Mortgage Foreclosure lawsuits are on hold in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. If you have been sued and have been given a Mortgage Forbearance, a Trial Mortgage Modification or an “At-Risk” reverse mortgage deferral, your mortgage company must notify the court to stop your lawsuit from going forward when the court re-opens.
If you have one of these agreements or have received a notice of foreclosure, call the SeniorLAW Center HelpLine immediately at 215-988-1242.