It is difficult to present an example of a hardship letter because everyone has different circumstances in life.  However, there are several items that should appear in the letter. 

• The first one is your desire to meet your financial obligations.  That should be your opening topic.
  
• How you have handled your credit obligations leading up to your present situation should be the next area of concentration in your letter. 
  
• And then you need to outline the problem that has put you into your present situation.  A job loss, an illness, a divorce or separation, or whatever it is that has prevented you from continuing to make payments on time.  It could also be that the mortgage itself or the value of the property has put you in a position whereby you may not be able to even sell the property to pay off the loan.

Honesty is the best policy and you should probably outline your thoughts prior to writing the letter.  That will allow you to organize your letter.  You should contact the lender and find out the name of the person and title of that person to whom the letter should be addressed.  You should contact that person several days after sending the letter if you have not been contacted.  The bottom line is that you will need to be the author of the letter and you can always have someone review the letter before you send it.

The purpose of any hardship letter is to explain the circumstances that caused missed payments and why the underwriter should approve your request for funds.

There are 3 main elements that an underwriter will be looking for:

1. The hardship was out of the borrower's control.  Was there loss of income or significant additional expenses that could not have been anticipated?  Some examples: A car accident causes injuries that needs significant follow up therapy.  Your company goes out of business and you are unable to find employment.
2. The hardship has passed.  Has your income and/or expenses returned to normal?  For example, you are now back to work full time.
3. The event that caused your hardship is not likely to occur again.  For example, you have completed therapy and the medical personnel believe you are not likely to have a significant setback.

In addition to a hardship letter, it is always helpful if you can provide documentation that verifies your claims.  Medical records showing the therapy needed, accident reports, and the like.