You open your mortgage documents and you see this big amount of money owed under “PITI”. But you have no clue as to what is the right PITI definition. Don’t worry; we got you!
PITI is not someone with an accent trying to say “pitty”. The correct PITI definition is of an acronym to the primary elements of many monthly mortgage payments:
- P for Principal
- I for Interest
- T for Taxes
- I for Insurance
So, Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance - or PITI – are actually the main components of what you will pay back to the lender monthly once you get a mortgage. However, not all mortgages include taxes and insurance in the payments. That doesn’t mean they will charge you a “PI”; they’ll probably just single out principal and interest.
But saying that PITI is just an aggregation to make the understanding of borrower’s expenses is not the most thorough PITI definition. The PITI assembling is as important for the lender itself, so it can determine the affordability of an individual mortgage and approve it or decline it. The lender calculates one’s PITI to determine the borrower’s risk, just like the borrower does to determine if his pockets are big enough to purchase that home.
Check our Real Estate Questions page; maybe someone else had the same doubts you have and we answered it already!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Used primarily by real estate corporations as a means of restructuring and reorganizing existing debts. Creditors must vote on a debt-paying plan and a judge must give approval. It provides ...
See annuity due. ...
The definition of voluntary alienation in real estate is the transfer of the residency rights or deed of a property between two parties without the use of extraneous legal measures. Unlike ...
A written, legally enforceable document used to transfer title to real estate, See also quit claim deed; warranty deed. ...
Limited-time warranty against defects, offered by builders to new home purchasers. Normally effective for a relatively short period of time, such as one or two years. ...
What’s the definition of real estate collateral? Could we say it’s like keeping a hostage? No, that would be relatively insensitive. But the idea is similar. In real estate, ...
Architectural style featuring a long low roof line with a continuous row of windows and a plain exterior. It is very open design with long horizontal lines rather than having small secluded ...
Generation X, also known as Gen X , is the generational extract of Americans that are sandwiched between the Baby Boomer Generation and the Millennial generation (also called ...
System of interconnected pipes, radiators, and/or ducts designed to heat a building utilizing a main heating unit. The system is controlled through a thermostat that regulates the ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.