Enter the dates from your court papers and see exactly how much time you have — and what to do next.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice — confirm every date with the court file or your attorney. Free help: find a HUD-approved Illinois housing counselor.
In Illinois, you generally have 30 days from service to respond to the court (file your appearance and answer). Your reinstatement deadline is 90 days after service — pay only the missed amounts, not the full balance, and the loan is restored (735 ILCS 5/15-1602; available once every 5 years per mortgage). Your redemption deadline — the last date to keep or sell your home — ends on the later of 7 months from service or 3 months from the judgment of foreclosure (735 ILCS 5/15-1603). Both clocks run from the date the last co-borrower was served. No auction can happen before the redemption date, and you keep the right to sell and pocket your equity until the court confirms the sale. For residential property, these rights cannot be waived — not even in the mortgage papers (735 ILCS 5/15-1601).
| Deadline | How long | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Respond to the court (appearance + answer) | 30 days from service | Summons / Ill. Sup. Ct. rules |
| Reinstatement — catch up and keep your loan | 90 days from service (once per 5 years per mortgage) | 735 ILCS 5/15-1602 |
| Redemption — keep or sell your home | Later of 7 months from service or 3 months from judgment | 735 ILCS 5/15-1603 |
| Redemption if the court finds the home abandoned | 30 days after judgment | 735 ILCS 5/15-1603(b)(4) |
| Special right to redeem after the sale (lender bought below the redemption amount) | 30 days after sale confirmation | 735 ILCS 5/15-1604 |
| Move-out (possession) after the sale | 30 days after sale confirmation | 735 ILCS 5/15-1508(g) |
| Property tax-sale redemption (separate clock) | 2.5 years (most property; 1 year for vacant/commercial/7+ units, certificates issued on/after 1/1/2024) | 35 ILCS 200/21-350 (P.A. 103-555) |
Redemption is a pre-sale right. No auction can happen until your redemption date, and you keep the right to sell until the court confirms the sale (735 ILCS 5/15-1508). After the auction there is one narrow exception: if your lender was the winning bidder and its bid was less than the full redemption amount, you may still redeem for 30 days after confirmation by paying the sale price plus costs and statutory interest (735 ILCS 5/15-1604).
Confirmation. The sale isn't final until a judge confirms it. The court must confirm unless notice wasn't properly given, the terms were unconscionable, the sale was fraudulent, or "justice was otherwise not done" (735 ILCS 5/15-1508(b)). Confirmation is typically heard about 3–4 weeks after the auction, and you cannot be made to move out until 30 days after confirmation (735 ILCS 5/15-1508(g)).
Surplus funds are yours. If the auction brings more than you owe, the extra money belongs to you after sale costs and the judgment amounts are paid — but you must file a motion in the foreclosure case to claim it, or it can eventually be forfeited to the State (735 ILCS 5/15-1512).
Deficiency judgments. If the sale brings less than you owe, a personal deficiency judgment is possible only if it was requested in the complaint and you were personally served or appeared in the case (735 ILCS 5/15-1508(e), 5/15-1511). A consent foreclosure (5/15-1402) wipes out deficiency liability.
If your mortgage predates your military service, the federal SCRA generally requires a court order to foreclose during active duty and for 12 months after you leave service. Illinois adds its own layer: a servicemember on duty for more than 29 consecutive days can move to stay the foreclosure, with relief available up to 90 days after returning (735 ILCS 5/15-1501.6). These protections must be raised — tell the court, your counselor, and your attorney.
| County | Program | How to start |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program — free, for 1–4 unit primary residences, regardless of income or immigration status | Call the CCLAHD helpline: (855) 452-2637 as soon as you're served |
| Will | Mandatory mediation for owner-occupied residential foreclosures | Your mediation date is set by the court — check your Complaint |
| Kane | All residential foreclosure cases subject to mediation, free to the homeowner | 16th Judicial Circuit — respond to your summons to preserve it |
| Lake | Free counseling + mediation via Affordable Housing Corp. of Lake County | 19th Judicial Circuit foreclosure mediation program |