Florida Foreclosure Numbers, Updated Monthly: What the Public Data Says in September 2026

Florida had 3,189 foreclosure starts in August 2026, the most of any state, and one foreclosure filing for every 2,397 housing units, the third-highest rate in the country. Nationally, foreclosure filings are up 13 percent from a year ago but remain below the levels seen before 2020. Those are the headline public numbers as of September 2026. This page explains where each figure comes from, what it does and does not mean, and what a homeowner who is behind on payments can actually do with the information.

Why we publish the numbers

Most foreclosure statistics reach homeowners as a sales pitch: a number, an alarm, a phone number to call. We publish them for a different reason. Knowing that thousands of Florida families are in the same position each month makes it easier to treat a missed payment as a problem to solve rather than a secret to keep. Every figure here is from a public source, cited by name, and we do not use Multiple Listing Service data on this site.

The national picture: ATTOM, August 2026

ATTOM’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for August 2026, released September 17, 2026, counted:

• 40,277 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing (a default notice, scheduled auction, or bank repossession), up 1 percent from July and up 13 percent from August 2025.
• 25,894 foreclosure starts, meaning lenders began the process on that many properties, down 3 percent from July and up 7 percent from a year earlier.
• 5,794 completed foreclosures (bank repossessions), up 22 percent from July and up 42 percent from a year ago.
• One in every 3,569 housing units nationwide had a filing.

ATTOM’s own summary is measured: activity “continues to trend above year-ago levels, particularly in completed foreclosures,” while “overall foreclosure volumes remain well below historical norms.”

Florida in the national ranking

• Foreclosure starts: Florida ranked first with 3,189 starts in August 2026, ahead of Texas (3,126) and California (2,565). In July, Florida was second with 3,277.
• Foreclosure rate: one filing for every 2,397 housing units, third-highest behind South Carolina (1 in 1,547) and Nevada (1 in 1,920). In July the Florida rate was one in 2,232, so the rate eased slightly even as Florida moved to first in starts.
• Metro areas: among metros with 200,000 or more people, Punta Gorda had the second-worst rate in the nation at one filing per 1,249 housing units, behind Columbia, South Carolina. It is not in South Florida, a reminder that the state’s foreclosure pressure is not concentrated in one region.
• Repossessions: Florida was not among the five states with the most completed foreclosures in August; Texas led with 1,835.

How many borrowers are behind: MBA, second quarter 2026

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency Survey, released August 13, 2026, covers loans on one-to-four-unit homes nationwide:

• Delinquency rate: 4.37 percent of loans outstanding, seasonally adjusted, down 7 basis points from the first quarter but up 44 basis points from a year earlier.
• Loans in the foreclosure process: 0.67 percent, up 3 basis points from the prior quarter and nearly 20 basis points higher than a year earlier.
• Foreclosure starts: 0.20 percent of loans during the quarter, down 4 basis points.
• FHA loans stand out: MBA reported that FHA serious delinquencies (90 or more days past due or in foreclosure) rose more than 225 basis points from a year earlier.

MBA’s Marina Walsh described the pattern plainly: some loans “are continuing to move to later stages of delinquency,” and the seriously delinquent rate rose for the fourth consecutive quarter. If your loan is FHA-insured, the FHA loss mitigation options page walks through the specific programs your servicer must evaluate.

Florida’s own forecast: 47,242 filings this fiscal year

Florida’s Legislature funds its courts partly through foreclosure filing fees, so the state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) publishes an adopted forecast of monthly foreclosure filings for court budgeting (the Article V Revenue Estimating Conference). The forecast adopted on July 20, 2026 projects:

• 47,242 foreclosure filings statewide in fiscal year 2026-27 (July 2026 through June 2027).
• Monthly filings ranging from about 3,070 in July to a seasonal peak of 4,375 in November.
• 48,509 filings the following fiscal year, a gradual rise rather than a spike.
• By claim size, roughly 30 percent of cases involve claims under $50,000, 37 percent between $50,000 and $250,000, and 33 percent above $250,000.

These are projections, not counts, and we label them that way. Their value is the shape: Florida’s courts plan on roughly 3,000 to 4,400 new foreclosure cases a month, every month, which is why the Florida foreclosure process timeline runs as long as it does.

What the numbers mean for you

If you have missed one payment or are about to. You are early, and early is where the most options exist. Call the servicer’s loss mitigation department (not general customer service) and read what to do after a missed mortgage payment.

If you have received a lis pendens. The case has started, but you still own the home and can still sell it. Read what a lis pendens means and check whether the property qualifies for a short sale.

If the home is worth less than the loan. A short sale is a negotiated sale with the lender’s approval, and in Florida the approval letter is where a deficiency waiver is won or lost. Read Florida deficiency judgments before you accept any terms.

If you are getting a lot of mail. Foreclosure filings are public records and are resold as marketing lists. Some offers are legitimate; some are not. Never pay an upfront fee to a “negotiator” and never sign your deed over to someone who promises to save the house. Our page on recognizing foreclosure rescue scams lists the warning signs.

Free next steps

The short sale qualification checker asks about a dozen plain questions and returns a document checklist for your loan program. Nothing is saved. The 2026 Short Sale Guide is free in English and Spanish. And a HUD-approved housing counselor is free by law; the HUD housing counselor page explains how to find one.

Questions about the process side of a sale: (855) 725-3898, answered every hour of the day, or info@shortsaleguide.com.

Sources

• ATTOM, “Foreclosure Activity Remains Above Year-Ago Levels in August 2026,” U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, September 17, 2026.
• ATTOM, “Foreclosure Activity Remains Elevated from a Year Ago in July 2026,” U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, August 27, 2026 (prior-month comparison).
• Mortgage Bankers Association, “Mortgage Delinquencies Decrease Slightly in the Second Quarter of 2026,” National Delinquency Survey, August 13, 2026.
• Florida Legislature, Office of Economic and Demographic Research, “Adopted Monthly Foreclosure Filings,” Article V Revenue Estimating Conference, adopted July 20, 2026.

This page explains the real estate process only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Program rules change and your servicer’s written instructions control.