This toolkit tells you what you need to know if you are a tenant or a homeowner who is affected by foreclosure. This toolkit can help you whether the foreclosure process has just started or if you are at the point where you are being evicted. For general information, read the Articles. Read the Common Questions if you have a specific question. If you received a complaint and are facing eviction, use the Forms link to prepare your forms. Go to Courts & Agencies for information about the court or agency that will handle your case.
You'll find links to legal aid offices and lawyer referral services under Find A Lawyer. If there is a Self-Help Center in your area you can get more help there. If you need something other than legal help, look in Community Services. If you need a fee waiver, an interpreter, a court to accommodate your disability, or more information about going to court, visit Going to Court.
Common Questions
Most tenants have the right to stay in the home for 90 days or until the end of their lease term, whichever is longer. If you’re a tenant in a foreclosed property, you may want to speak with a lawyer who could help. Use the Guide to Legal Help to find lawyers in your area.
For more information about renting a home during foreclosure, read the article Tenants in Foreclosed Properties.
No. Talk to your old landlord before the end of the foreclosure about your security deposit. Your security deposit is your money, and your old landlord can’t keep it if he sells your home to someone else. Your old landlord can transfer the deposit to the new owner, or can return it to you and then you can give it to your new landlord.
If the new owner continues your lease, they can’t ask for a larger security deposit than what was originally in your lease agreement.