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Help for homeowners, renters struggling with damage from natural disaster
Whether you‘re a homeowner or renter if your home suffered damage in a disaster or you're a refugee from the damage of Hurricane Ida, mortgage financer Fannie Mae wants you to know there’s help available.
HOUSTON - Whether you are a homeowner or renter, if your home suffered damage in disaster, or you're a refugee from the damage of Hurricane Ida, mortgage financer Fannie Mae says help is available.
Hurricane Ida impacted millions of people. Many of the refugees are in Houston because their homes are damaged in Louisiana.
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And many Houstonians still have damaged homes from previous disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey.
Fannie Mae wants homeowners and renters to know they have disaster assistance available, which you can find on their site, Know Your Options.
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For homeowners, that's options like payment reductions, deferrals, or forbearance to free up your money to repair your home, possibly even if you already had forbearance during the pandemic.
"There are options of say 12 months forbearance," explained Tim Carpenter with Fannie Mae. "You can take those skipped payments and move them to the end of your loan. Move them to the end of the 30-year period. Not have additional interest or fees, and that gives you the time to recover."
Carpenter says Fannie Mae can help renters find rental and utility assistance, whether they live in a Fannie Mae-backed property or not.
Fannie Mae also offers its Disaster Response Network, which provides free credit counseling, a personalized financial recovery plan, help applying for FEMA aid, plus one person as a point of contact.
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Disaster survivors can also call the Disaster Response Network at (877) 908-7622.