TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa property owners had the roughest time in the entire country last month, according to ATTOM’s October 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.

The report tracked 36,766 foreclosure filings across the country for October 2025, a 3% increase from September and a 19% increase from the previous year.

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Florida had the worst foreclosure rate in the entire country, with 1 in every 1,829 housing units getting a foreclosure notice.

“We’re getting calls from people who are getting their notices from their banks that they haven’t made a payment and they’re scared. They don’t know what to do. And it’s the calls are definitely increasing,” said Sylvia Alvarez, the Executive Director of the Housing and Education Alliance.

Other top states included:

South Carolina: One in every 1,982 housing units with a foreclosure filing

Illinois: One in every 2,570 housing units with a foreclosure filing

Delaware: One in every 2,710 housing units with a foreclosure filing

Nevada: One in every 2,747 housing units with a foreclosure filing

“Foreclosure activity continued its steady upward trend in October, the eighth straight month of year-over-year increases. Starts rose nearly 20 percent, while completed foreclosures were up 32 percent from last year,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “Even with these increases, activity remains well below historic highs. The current trend appears to reflect a gradual normalization in foreclosure volumes as market conditions adjust and some homeowners continue to navigate higher housing and borrowing costs.”

Within Florida, Tampa saw the highest foreclosure filing rate in October 2025 among metro areas with a million people or more.

Remax Relator Nick Davis said filings may be up, but said according to a database relators use, actuals homes being foreclosed on, are not. The system found 4,013 active and pending homes that are not short sales, and of them 19 of the homes foreclosed. The system does not show filings. He said some people facing foreclosures do have options.

“They have the equity in their home that, you know, if they were to get the home, they could sell the house and still pay off the mortgage. And any late fees or attorney fees without any problems,” said Davis. “The bank does not want your house. They don’t. They would rather work with you and work something out to keep you in that home because the bank isn’t in the business of homeownership. “

The Tampa rate was one in every 1,373 housing units, a temporary spike from data collection starting again in Hillsborough County. ATTOM stated that the rate would normalize in November.

Other Florida metros included Jacksonville at one in every 1,576 housing units and Orlando at one in every 1,703. These were followed by Riverside, California, at one in every 1,983 housing units and Cleveland, Ohio, at one in every 2,114.

According to ATTOM, Florida also saw the greatest number of foreclosure starts at a total of 4,136 in October 2025. Nationwide, lenders began the foreclosure process on 25,129 properties that same month, an increase of 20% from last year.

When it came to foreclosure completions, or real estate owned properties (REOs), ATTOM reported 3,872 foreclosed properties across the country in October, an increase of 32% from 2024.

Compared to other states, Florida ranked third in the nation:

However, Florida did not have any metros ranked in the top five for completed foreclosures.

ATTOM said its findings showed foreclosure activity rising for the eighth straight month year over year, although it is still below historic highs.

Read more about the report and its methodology, click here.

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