What should I do if I have a reverse mortgage loan and I can’t pay my property taxes or homeowners insurance? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't pay taxes on a reverse mortgage? ›

If you don't pay property taxes, carry homeowner's insurance, or maintain the condition of your home, your loan may become due and payable—meaning you could lose it to a foreclosure if you don't pay the loan back. You might get a better deal by taking out a regular home equity loan at a lower cost.

Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), the most common type of reverse mortgage loan, require that you keep current on your property taxes and homeowners insurance. Failure to pay either may lead to foreclosure.

A reverse mortgage loan contract may provide that it is the primary obligation of the borrower to pay all property taxes, insurance premiums, and assessments in a timely manner, and that the failure of the borrower to make these payments and to provide evidence of payment to the lender may constitute grounds for ...

Reverse mortgage loans are due when the homeowner dies, moves away, or doesn't meet certain requirements like property tax payments. You can get out of a reverse mortgage by using the right of rescission, selling the home and paying back the loan, or refinancing for more favorable terms.

The homeowner continues to bear all the responsibilities of a homeowner, including making repairs and paying taxes and insurance. In a reverse mortgage, there is no regulatory requirement for an escrow account for payment of taxes and insurance.

If the end of your term is up before you pass away, then you have outlived your reverse mortgage proceeds. With a term payment plan, you reach your loan's principal limit—the maximum that you can borrow—at the end of the term. After that, you won't be able to receive additional proceeds from your reverse mortgage.

If your reverse mortgage loan is in default and you've received a notice that the loan is “due and payable,” you may sell your home for 95 percent of its appraised value.

A big downside to reverse mortgages is the loss of home equity. Because you're not paying down your reverse mortgage balance, you'll make less profit when you sell, or limit your borrowing power if you need a new loan. You'll pay high upfront fees.

It depends on whether there are coborrowers or an eligible nonborrowing spouse. If there are neither, to keep the home, heirs must pay the full loan balance. To sell it, they must repay the full loan balance, or at least 95 percent of its appraised value if the loan balance owed is more than the home value.

The only recourse the lender has is to sell the property and keep the proceeds. No matter how large the deficiency balance, it is the lender that is on the hook for any drop in the property's value, if the borrower walks away from the reverse mortgage.

What is the 60% rule for reverse mortgage? ›

Called the initial principal limit, you can only withdraw 60 percent of your available equity during the first 12 months, with the remaining equity becoming available after the first 12 months. The only exception is if your mandatory obligations exceed 60 percent of your available equity.

Answer: No, reverse mortgage payments aren't taxable. Reverse mortgage payments are considered loan proceeds and not income. The lender pays you, the borrower, loan proceeds (in a lump sum, a monthly advance, a line of credit, or a combination of all three) while you continue to live in your home.

The reverse mortgage lender cannot do anything that the owner of the property does not agree to allow the lender to do when the loan is originated. If you are on the loan with your mom, then you also have the right to stay in the home for as long as you wish.

No. The borrower(s) retains title to the property. The reverse mortgage lender is merely extending a loan to the borrower.

A big downside to reverse mortgages is the loss of home equity. Because you're not paying down your reverse mortgage balance, you'll make less profit when you sell, or limit your borrowing power if you need a new loan. You'll pay high upfront fees.

If you fail to meet your responsibilities under the loan, you may default on your loan, which could result in foreclosure. If you find yourself in that situation, contact your reverse mortgage servicer (the company that sends your reverse mortgage statements) immediately and explain your situation.

A reverse mortgage loan becomes due and payable after your death and after the death of any coborrowers or of an eligible nonborrowing spouse. Once your heirs receive a due and payable notice from the lender, they have 30 days to buy, sell, or turn the home over to the lender to satisfy the debt.

The proceeds you receive from reverse mortgages are income tax-free.