- Who sends it
- The court enters the judgment; the lender's lawyer must mail a letter to owners who did not appear, by certified and regular mail
- What it starts
- A countdown to your law day, the last day to redeem (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15; Practice Book § 23-17)
- Do this first
- Find your law day and call legal aid about a motion to open the judgment or a sale instead
What this judgment is in Connecticut
Strict foreclosure is Connecticut's main way to end a home foreclosure. The judge finds the debt, sets the value of the home, and assigns each owner and lienholder a law day in order of priority (Practice Book § 23-17(a)). Anyone who pays the full amount the court found by their law day takes title. If no one does, title becomes absolute in the lender the day after the last law day.
The court's Uniform Foreclosure Standing Orders (JD-CV-104, paragraph D) say that within 10 days after the judgment, the lender must send every owner who did not file an Appearance a letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, and regular mail. The letter must say it is sent by order of the Superior Court, give the terms of the judgment, warn that you risk losing the property if you do not act by your law day, and tell you to file an Appearance. The lender may not record the Certificate of Judgment (JD-CV-47) on the land records before it files proof of mailing.
What it does and does not mean
- There is no auction. The law day is the deadline.
- There is no surplus. If your home is worth more than you owe, you lose that equity in a strict foreclosure. That is why owners with equity ask, before judgment, for a foreclosure by sale (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-24).
- It is not an eviction. Ejectment is stayed until the day after the last law day (Practice Book § 23-17(b)).
- Filing bankruptcy before title passes automatically opens the judgment as to the law days, so new ones must be set later (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15(b)).
- The lender may seek a deficiency judgment by motion within 30 days after the time to redeem ends (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-14). See the Connecticut deficiency judgment page.
The deadlines and how to count them
- Your law day is a calendar date set by the judge. Paying the full judgment amount, with costs, by that day keeps the home.
- Court orders are generally on hold during the appeal period, so law days are usually set after it (Practice Book § 61-11(a)). Ask the clerk to confirm your exact law day.
- A motion to open and change the judgment must be filed before title passes (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15(a)(1)).
- After title passes, the judgment can be opened only if every party who appeared agrees, and not later than 4 months after judgment or 30 days after title passed, whichever is later (§ 49-15(a)(2)).
- If you have filed and lost two or more motions to open, a later motion may not pause the law days unless you swear it is based on new good cause (Practice Book § 61-11(g)).
See after the foreclosure sale in Connecticut for what follows.
What to do this week
- Look up your case and law day on the court's case look-up, or call the clerk.
- If you have not filed an Appearance, file one now so you get notice of everything.
- Call Statewide Legal Services at 1-800-453-3320, the Connecticut Fair Housing Center at 860-247-4400, or the Department of Banking hotline at 1-877-472-8313.
- If you have a modification offer, a refinance or a buyer, ask legal aid about a written motion to open the judgment and extend the law day.
- Ask the lender's lawyer for a written payoff good through your law day.
- Plan your move in case title passes.
Scam warnings
Law days are public, and investors may offer to buy the home or promise to stop the law day for a fee. Fee-charging foreclosure help needs a Department of Banking debt negotiation license, a written contract and a 3-business-day right to cancel (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 36a-671, 36a-671b). Get legal advice before signing anything.
The rest of the Connecticut process
See how foreclosure works in Connecticut, the timeline, ways to stop it and free help in Connecticut, or read the national guide to this letter.
Common questions
What happens on my Connecticut law day?
If you pay the full debt and costs the court found by your law day, you keep the home. If not, and no later lienholder redeems, title becomes absolute in the lender the day after the last law day. There is no auction.
Can I stop a Connecticut law day?
Ways include paying the judgment debt, a judge granting a motion to open and extend the law day (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-15), or filing bankruptcy before title passes, which opens the law days automatically (§ 49-15(b)). Each has limits, so get legal advice.
Will I get money back after a Connecticut strict foreclosure?
No. A strict foreclosure has no sale, so there is no surplus. If you have equity, ask the judge in a written motion, before judgment, to order a foreclosure by sale instead (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 49-24).
Other Connecticut letters
- Notice of intent to foreclose (EMAP notice)Before a Connecticut lender can start a foreclosure on a covered home loan, it must mail you this notice by registered or certified mail. It gives you 60 days from the date of the notice to meet or talk with the lender or a counseling agency and to contact the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) about emergency mortgage assistance. It is not a lawsuit yet.
- Writ, Summons and Complaint, with the notice "You Are Being Sued and You Are in Danger of Losing Your Property" (JD-CV-103)A Connecticut foreclosure is a Superior Court lawsuit, and a state marshal serves you the writ, summons and complaint. On top must be the court's notice "You Are Being Sued and You Are in Danger of Losing Your Property." Your deadlines count from the return date on the summons, so find it first.
- Notice to Homeowner or Religious Organization: Availability of Foreclosure Mediation (JD-CV-127)If you own and live in a 1 to 4 family home, this court notice explains the free Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program. You must file the Foreclosure Mediation Certificate and an Appearance within 15 days after the return date. While mediation is open, no foreclosure judgment can enter.
- Judgment of foreclosure by sale and sale date letterWhen a judge orders a foreclosure by sale, the court appoints a committee to auction the home at noon on the property on a set date. If you did not file an Appearance, the lender must mail you a letter within 10 days. The sale is not final until the court approves it, and leftover money can go to you.
- Application and Execution for Ejectment, Mortgage Foreclosure (JD-CV-30)After title passes in a Connecticut foreclosure, the new owner can get an execution for ejectment from the court. A state marshal serves it, and removal cannot happen until at least 5 business days after service. Belongings left behind go to town storage and can be sold if not claimed within 15 days.