Skip to Content

New THDA Program

Keep My Tennessee Home

Homeowners suffering from a dramatic loss of income might be eligible for mortgage payment assistance through the Keep My Tennessee Home program being administered by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA).

The purpose of the Keep My Tennessee Home Program is to assist unemployed and substantially underemployed homeowners to remain in their homes and avoid foreclosure while they seek increased income. Keep My Tennessee Home will provide 0%, deferred, forgivable loans to homeowners to pay their mortgage and mortgage-related expenses. The payments are sent directly to the servicer.

Meeting the basic eligibility criteria is the first step. Meeting these criteria does not guarantee program eligibility. The preliminary eligibility check and application are made through the web portal: www.KeepMyTNHome.org. Persons not able to use the internet are invited to call a toll-free number: 1-855-890-8073. When the questions and answers reveal preliminary eligibility, the applicant is matched with a foreclosure prevention counselor. The application is completed together.

If the preliminary application reveals non-eligibility, homeowners are invited to contact a foreclosure prevention counselor for other opportunities. Tennessee Housing Development Agency has secured training to counselors located across Tennessee. The counseling is free to the consumer. Here is the link on THDA’s website: http://www.thda.org/foreclosure/counselors.pdf.

The basic eligibility parameters for Keep My Tennessee Home are as follows:

  • Be unemployed or underemployed (a 50% reduction of income) through no fault of their own (not terminated for cause). The event or incident which results in unemployment or substantial underemployment must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2008.
  • Have a mortgage for a single-family home or condominium (attached or detached) in Tennessee occupied as the primary residence. This includes manufactured homes on foundations permanently affixed to real estate that they own.
  • Have a history of timely mortgage payments prior to the job loss/reduction of income, or no more than two 30-day late payments in the 12 months prior to the job loss/reduction of income.
  • The combined amount of mortgage principal, interest, taxes and insurance must be greater than 31% of household income after the job loss/reduction of income.
  • Have not more than six months’ reserves of liquid assets, that is, liquid assets equal to six months of mortgage principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
  • Have a household income not exceeding $74,980.
  • Have a total unpaid principal balance not exceeding $226,100.

THDA initiated a pilot program in 29 of the state’s counties after a calculation that rated the highest in unemployment, foreclosures and delinquencies. Residents in the 29 counties (see KeepMyTNHome.org) are eligible for assistance for up to 18 months, not to exceed $20,000. Residents of the other counties are eligible for assistance for up to 12 months, not to exceed $15,000. The loan can cover monthly payments and mortgage-related expenses