Enter the dates from your foreclosure papers and see how much time you have — and what to do next.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice — timelines can vary by county and case. Confirm every date with your papers, the court, or your attorney. Free help: find a HUD-approved housing counselor.
Massachusetts uses a nonjudicial foreclosure process. Key dates come from your own papers — enter them above for your exact timeline.
Statutory 90-day right to cure a payment default on a residential mortgage. The lender may not accelerate the loan until at least 90 days after giving the written 35A notice, and may only charge late fees and per-diem interest during the cure period. Granted once per 5-year period regardless of mortgage holder. (An earlier 150-day version of this statute has sunset; the current statutory text says 90 days.) Separately, G.L. c. 244 §35B requires certain creditors to take reasonable steps to avoid foreclosure on certain mortgage loans — case-specific, not a formulaic deadline. G.L. c. 244 §35A
Before the sale: Equitable right of redemption: the homeowner may redeem by paying the full loan balance (not just arrears) at any time before the foreclosure sale is completed. The 35A notice itself must inform the homeowner of the right to sell the property or redeem it before foreclosure.
After the sale: None. Massachusetts has no statutory post-sale redemption after a completed power-of-sale mortgage foreclosure; the sale extinguishes the equity of redemption. G.L. c. 244 §18 · G.L. c. 244 §35A · G.L. c. 244 §14
Practically, the owner can sell the home and keep any equity until the foreclosure auction is completed. G.L. c. 244 §35A requires the cure notice to state the homeowner's right to sell or redeem the property before foreclosure.
Want the fuller picture beyond the dates? Read the Massachusetts foreclosure guide — timeline, rights & options.
For property-tax takings under G.L. c. 60: the owner may redeem at any time prior to the filing of a Land Court petition to foreclose the right of redemption (§62), and after a petition is filed the Land Court may still allow redemption within a time the court fixes (§68) — so redemption is practically available until the Land Court forecloses (court-set dates come from the court papers). Under the 2024 post-Tyler v. Hennepin reforms (St. 2024, c. 140, effective Nov. 1, 2024): the municipality/tax-title holder must now wait 12 months after the taking or sale before petitioning to foreclose (§65, previously 6 months), and any excess equity above the taxes, interest, and fees owed must be returned to the former owner, who can claim it within 18 months of notice (§64A). G.L. c. 60 §§62, 64A, 65, 68 (as amended by St. 2024, c. 140)
Roughly 7–9 months from default to auction in a typical uncontested case, often longer — federal rules (12 C.F.R. §1024.41) generally bar starting foreclosure until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent, then the 90-day cure period, the optional Land Court Servicemembers case, and §14 notice/publication follow (practitioner estimate). Note: the Land Court Servicemembers case most lenders file is NOT itself a foreclosure and is not a foreclosure defense — it only determines Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protections; receiving that complaint means foreclosure is being prepared, but the auction date is set separately. (Practitioner estimate, not a statute.)
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 (50 U.S.C. §3953). These protections must be raised — tell the court and your counselor.