HousingWireHousingWire
As Los Angeles residents continue to pick up the pieces following January’s devastating wildfires, an additional reprieve is coming from federal housing agencies.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Thursday announced that a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions for people impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles County will be extended for another 90 days. The moratorium is now slated to end July 7.
The announcement comes as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner is visiting the area alongside Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The impacted presidentially declared major disaster area (PDMDA) has more than 100,000 FHA-insured mortgages. HUD “is working with mortgage servicers and others to assess the extent of properties with FHA-insured mortgages in the designated area that have been severely damaged or destroyed,” the department explained.
Turner described his assessment of the damage in a prepared statement.
“It is heartbreaking to witness the devastation caused by the horrific wildfires in Altadena and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles County and the heavy toll of this tragedy on individuals, families and communities,” Turner said.
“Empowering and supporting our neighbors so they can build or rebuild their future, including when disaster strikes, is a core part of HUD’s mission and we will continue providing help during hardship.”
Barger also described the role the moratorium will play in the recovery, calling it “a lifeline for wildfire survivors in Los Angeles County who are facing immense hardship.”
“I appreciate Secretary Turner’s leadership and commitment to ensuring that families impacted by these devastating fires have the time and support they need to recover,” she added. “This critical relief will help stabilize our communities as we work together to rebuild and heal.”
The announcement of the moratorium’s extension was followed shortly thereafter by the publication of Mortgagee Letter 2025-07, which was signed by Jeffrey D. Little, HUD’s general deputy assistant secretary for housing. The ML explained that the moratorium restricts foreclosure actions on both FHA-insured single-family forward mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs).
HUD advises anyone in the designated PDMDA who is having trouble making their mortgage payments to immediately contact their servicer. The department also offers counseling resources for borrowers and renters who require immediate housing and disaster recovery assistance.
