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How to stop a foreclosure in Connecticut

Connecticut gives you several ways to slow or stop a foreclosure because every case goes through court. The strongest tools are free court mediation, your right to answer the lawsuit, and the chance to pay the debt before your law day or before the court approves a sale. The options narrow as the case moves forward. Nothing here promises a result.

Ask for help in Connecticut Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

Reviewed against Connecticut law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Ways to stop or delay a foreclosure in Connecticut

  • Work it out during the 60-day notice period

    Within 60 days of the date on the notice

    Meet or talk with the lender or a consumer credit counseling agency, and contact CHFA about the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program. Send the servicer a complete application for help in writing.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-265ee(a)

  • Ask for court mediation

    Within 15 days after the return date, or later with a judge's permission

    File your Appearance (JD-CL-12) and Foreclosure Mediation Certificate (JD-CV-108), and send a copy of the certificate to the lender's lawyer. Mediation is free. You can discuss reinstatement, a repayment plan, a loan modification, a short sale or a deed in lieu.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-31l(c), (d), 49-31m

  • Apply for protection if you are unemployed or underemployed

    No later than 25 days after the return date

    If you qualify, the judge can restructure the debt to wipe out the past-due amount and pause the case for up to 6 months. You must have lived in the home for at least 2 years and had no foreclosure case in the last 7 years.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-31d to 49-31i

  • Answer the lawsuit and raise defenses

    Any time in the 8-month mediation period; otherwise within the 15-day pleading steps

    You can file an answer, special defenses or counterclaims, such as a missing 60-day notice. In foreclosure cases, each pleading step has 15 days instead of the usual 30. A legal aid lawyer can tell you which defenses fit your case.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-31l(f); Conn. Practice Book § 10-8

  • Pay the debt before your law day or before the sale is approved

    By your law day (strict foreclosure) or before the court approves the sale

    Ask the lender's lawyer for a written payoff that includes costs. In a foreclosure by sale, paying the judgment debt, interest and costs before the sale stops the case. The home can also be redeemed until the court approves the sale.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-15, 49-25

  • Ask the judge to open the judgment or extend the date

    Before title passes to the lender

    File a written motion to open the judgment and show a good reason, such as a pending modification or a buyer. A strict foreclosure judgment cannot be opened after title has passed, except in narrow cases when every party agrees.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15(a)

  • File bankruptcy

    Before title passes

    Besides the federal automatic stay, Connecticut law says a bankruptcy filing automatically opens a strict foreclosure judgment as to the law days, so new ones must be set. File a copy of the petition with the court clerk. Talk to a bankruptcy lawyer first.

    Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15(b)

What Connecticut law gives you

The right to catch up and stop the sale

Limited right

We did not find a Connecticut statute that gives every homeowner the right to stop a foreclosure by paying only the missed payments. Your mortgage contract may give you that right, so read it or ask a housing counselor. In court mediation the lender must send you an itemized statement of the amount needed to reinstate the loan. If you are unemployed or underemployed, you can also ask the judge to restructure the debt to wipe out the past-due amount (see Protections).

Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-31l(d), 49-31f

Foreclosure mediation

Program available

The Judicial Branch runs the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program. You qualify if you are the borrower, you own and live in the home as your primary residence, it has 1 to 4 units, and it is a mortgage foreclosure (not a tax or condo lien case). Some spouses and former spouses of a borrower also qualify. There is no fee. To ask, file an Appearance and a Foreclosure Mediation Certificate within 15 days after the return date. If you miss that date you can file a motion asking a judge for permission. Under the current statute the program covers cases with return dates through June 30, 2029.

60-day notice before the lender can sue

For covered home mortgages, the lender cannot start a foreclosure until it has mailed you a notice that explains the default and gives you 60 days to meet with the lender or a credit counseling agency and to contact CHFA about emergency mortgage assistance.

Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 8-265dd(b), 8-265ee

No judgment while mediation is open

In a case that is in the court mediation program, the judge cannot enter a judgment of strict foreclosure or foreclosure by sale until the mediation period has ended. If mediation ends less than 8 months after the return date, 15 more days must pass first.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-31l(f)

Court restructuring for unemployed or underemployed homeowners

If you are unemployed, or your earned income in the last 12 months was under $50,000 and under 75% of your average for the two years before, you can apply to the judge for protection from foreclosure. You must have lived in the home as your main residence for at least 2 years, have had no foreclosure case in the past 7 years, and apply no later than 25 days after the return day. The judge can restructure the debt to wipe out the past-due amount and pause the case for up to 6 months.

Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-31d to 49-31i

Bankruptcy reopens a strict foreclosure judgment

If you file a bankruptcy petition before title passes, a strict foreclosure judgment is opened automatically as to the law days, so new law days must be set later.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15(b)

The options your servicer can offer

Common questions in Connecticut

What must the lender give me in Connecticut mediation?

By day 35 after the return date, the lender must send you a 12-month account history and an itemized statement of what it takes to reinstate the loan. It must also send a copy of your note and mortgage, its application forms and a list of the papers it needs. Bring these to your meeting with the mediator.

Can I ask for a foreclosure by sale instead of a strict foreclosure in Connecticut?

Yes. Under § 49-24, any party can file a written motion asking the court to order a sale instead of a strict foreclosure, and the judge decides. If your home is worth more than you owe, a sale may protect that equity, because money left after the debts are paid goes to the owner.

What is a foreclosure by market sale in Connecticut?

It is a court-approved sale of the home on the open market, used instead of an auction. It applies only to a first mortgage, and it needs both the lender's written motion and your consent. Ask the lender's lawyer or a housing counselor whether your lender will agree to it.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Connecticut

Understand the process

What is happening and how much time there is.

Weigh your options

What can stop it, and what happens if it goes ahead.

Get help now

Who to call, and what to do when a sale is scheduled.

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Sources for this page

  1. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 896, Civil Process (§§ 52-46, 52-48)
  2. Connecticut Practice Book, 2026 edition (§§ 3-2, 10-8, 23-16 to 23-19, 61-11, 63-1)
  3. Connecticut Judicial Branch: Foreclosure by Sale Standing Orders, JD-CV-79 (Rev. 7-25)
  4. Connecticut Judicial Branch: Pending Foreclosures By Sale, Listed by Town
  5. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 846, Mortgages (§§ 49-14, 49-15, 49-22, 49-24 to 49-28, 49-31d to 49-31n)
  6. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 134, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority Act (§§ 8-265dd to 8-265ff)
  7. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 669, Regulated Activities (§§ 36a-671 to 36a-671b, debt negotiation)
  8. Connecticut Judicial Branch: Foreclosure Mediation Program
  9. Connecticut Judicial Branch: Foreclosure Mediation Homeowner Frequently Asked Questions
  10. CTLawHelp: Foreclosure, Your Rights and Options (updated May 2025)
  11. CHFA: Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program
  12. CHFA: MyHomeCT program update
  13. U.S. Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund
  14. Connecticut Department of Banking: Avoiding Foreclosure
  15. Connecticut Bar Association: Ways to Get Legal Help