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Can you lose your house to unsecured debt?

Author

Jackson Reed

Updated on January 31, 2026

Credit card debt, unlike mortgage debt, is unsecured debt. This means your credit card company can’t come immediately take your stuff — including your home or car — when you don’t pay. Once an unsecured creditor obtains a judgment, they can then attach your non-exempt property in satisfaction of past-due debts.

Will I lose my house if I can’t pay credit cards?

You might lose your home if a loan is secured on your home and you can’t pay it back. You should only use your new loan or card to help you pay off the debt you already have. Don’t spend any more on your card – it’s a good idea to cut it up so you can’t use it any more.

What happens if you can’t pay your unsecured loan?

If you default on an unsecured loan – your credit score is ruined. Failing to repay the loan on time and in full will damage your credit score. With a damaged score, it will become difficult for you to borrow a loan in the future. Moreover, lenders can take legal support to make you pay them back.

What happens if I am not able to pay home loan?

When you have delayed the repayments for 90 days, your loan becomes a Non-Performing Asset (NPA). Banks treat any loan as NPA only when you have failed to make a payment successively for three months. So, banks don’t immediately seize the assets of borrowers after default.

How do I get out of unsecured debt?

To get rid of unsecured debt with creditors who do not allow snowflake payments or that charge a fee to process these payments, consider consolidating these debts with a different lender. You can also try to negotiate with creditors to reduce interest rates or modify payment plans to help get rid of debt more quickly.

Can You Lose Your House if you have credit card debt?

That is when you might face the prospect of losing your home. But creditors rarely employ such drastic measures, in part because there is usually a mortgage attached to a home. Mortgages are secured debt, and the mortgage holder would have first rights if the home were foreclosed on to pay a debt.

What happens if I Lose my credit card?

Credit card debt is unsecured debt. In order to lose your home, several things would have to happen. First, you would have to be sued in court and lose. If that were to happen your creditors would receive a judgment against you ordering you to pay. If you could not pay, a card issuer could take further action to enforce the order.

Can a creditor put a lien on my house for unsecured debt?

Unsecured creditors have to go through a long route before you get thrown out of your house. To understand this process better, it is important to learn more about what unsecured debts and liens are, as well as the lien process in case you have unsecured debt.

Can a house be foreclosed on with credit card debt?

But creditors rarely employ such drastic measures, in part because there is usually a mortgage attached to a home. Mortgages are secured debt, and the mortgage holder would have first rights if the home were foreclosed on to pay a debt.