A stop foreclosure letter, otherwise known as a hardship letter, is a letter that can be sent to a lender to request an alternative to foreclosure. In this type of letter, the homeowner facing foreclosure will express their financial hardship, making a case against a foreclosure that has already been presented. If a stop foreclosure letter is to be used, homeowners should first have received notice from the lender, after which they can prepare their case. Upon completion, the letter can be dispatched by mail to the lender responsible for foreclosure.

Financial hardship can be evidenced by unemployment,divorce, separation, medical bills, excessive debt, relocation, death, or illness, among other causes. The actual letter can be structured as follows: name, address, lender and loan number, statement of case and causes, and to end the letter, the homeowner's signature. A hardship letter or stop foreclosure letter that is successful may bring about loan modification or other desirable alternatives.