- Best for
- When you can get the full past-due amount together: a tax refund, savings, family help.
- You keep the home
- Yes. The loan continues on its original terms.
- Watch for
- The cutoff. Each state sets how late you can reinstate, and some give no right at all.
What reinstatement is, and what it is not
Reinstating means paying the past-due amount, not the whole loan. That is different from paying off or redeeming, which means paying the entire balance.
The amount includes more than the missed payments. Expect late charges, property inspection fees, and the attorney or trustee fees and costs the foreclosure has run up so far.
Whether you have the right depends on your state
Some states give you a legal right to reinstate up to a set number of days before the sale. In others the right comes only from your mortgage contract or the servicer's agreement. The cutoff ranges from days before the sale to the moment of the sale.
Find your state to see whether you have a statutory right to reinstate and exactly when it ends.
How to do it
- Ask the servicer, or the foreclosure attorney or trustee, for a written reinstatement quote with a good-through date.
- Check the quote. You can ask what each fee is for.
- Pay the exact amount, the way the quote says to pay it, before the good-through date. Keep proof of payment.
- Ask for written confirmation that the loan is reinstated and the foreclosure has been cancelled or dismissed.
If you can only pay part of it
Freddie Mac lists partial reinstatement as an option, and other programs combine a partial payment with a repayment plan. Do not send a partial payment without an agreement in writing: a servicer may return it or apply it without stopping the foreclosure.
How much time do you have? It depends on your state.
See the foreclosure timeline, deadlines and free local help for the state where the home is.
Common questions
Should I borrow money to reinstate?
Be careful. A high-cost loan can leave you worse off, and offers that arrive after a foreclosure becomes public are often scams. Talk to a free HUD-approved housing counselor first, and ask your servicer about options that do not need a lump sum.
What is the difference between reinstatement and redemption?
Reinstatement means paying the past-due amount so the loan continues. Redemption means paying the whole debt to keep or recover the home. Some states allow redemption for a period after the sale. Your state's page explains both.
Other options to compare
- Repayment planYou keep paying your normal mortgage payment and add an extra amount each month until the missed payments are paid back.
- ForbearanceYour servicer agrees to accept reduced payments, or none, for a limited time. The missed amount is still owed and has to be dealt with when the pause ends.
- Payment deferral or partial claimThe missed payments are set aside as a balance with no interest and no monthly payment. It comes due when you sell, refinance or pay off the mortgage.
- Loan modificationYour servicer permanently changes the loan, usually by adding the missed payments to the balance and stretching the term or lowering the rate, so the payment is affordable.
- Short saleYou sell the home for less than the mortgage balance and the lender agrees to take the sale price. It avoids a foreclosure sale when keeping the home is not possible.
- Deed in lieu of foreclosureYou sign the home over to the lender and the lender cancels the foreclosure. It is usually considered after a short sale has not worked or is not practical.