Free foreclosure help in Washington, D.C.

Who to call first, by situation

• You are not behind yet but expect trouble

  Before you miss a payment

  Call your servicer and ask about hardship options. Housing Counseling Services: DC Foreclosure Prevention Hotline at (202) 265-2255 can sign you up for a weekly Foreclosure Prevention Clinic and a free HUD-certified counselor.

• You got a Notice of Default

  Within days; you have 30 days to elect mediation

  Call the DISB Foreclosure Prevention Program at (202) 442-7765 about the mediation forms and fee, and a counselor through the hotline to help fill them out. LawHelp.org/DC: Foreclosures answers common questions about both routes.

  D.C. Code § 42-815.02(d)(1)

• You were served with a foreclosure lawsuit

  Immediately; 21 days to respond

  Call Legal Aid DC at 202-628-1161, or the hotline to be connected with free legal help. D.C. Superior Court: Mortgage Foreclosure Sales lists the steps and links to check your court date. The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center: Free Legal Help runs advice clinics and court-based resource centers.

• A sale date has been set

  The same day you learn of it

  Call Legal Aid DC or a licensed attorney about stopping the sale, and ask the lender's attorney or trustee in writing for the cure amount. Housing Counseling Services: DC Foreclosure Prevention Hotline can contact your lender about alternatives.

  D.C. Code § 42-815.01

• Your servicer or lender is not following the rules

  As soon as the problem happens

  Keep notes of dates, names and what was said. File a complaint with DISB: File a Complaint or Report Fraud at (202) 727-8000. If it happens in mediation, tell the mediator, because lenders can be fined for not taking part in good faith.

  D.C. Code § 42-815.02(e)(2)

• A rescue company or home buyer contacted you

  Before you sign or pay anything

  Washington, D.C. bans foreclosure rescue transactions done for profit, where you transfer your home with a promise you can get it back. Report it to Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia: Consumer Protection at 202-442-9828 or to DISB: File a Complaint or Report Fraud.

  D.C. Code §§ 42-2431 to 42-2435

• You are behind on condo dues or property taxes

  As soon as you get a notice

  Legal Aid DC warns that a condo association auction can happen soon after its notice. Contact Legal Aid DC right away, and see DC Department of Housing and Community Development: Foreclosure Prevention Resources for counseling.

Official and nonprofit help in Washington, D.C.

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

• DC Department of Housing and Community Development: Foreclosure Prevention Resources

  The District housing agency's page for residents facing foreclosure.

  (202) 442-7200

• DISB Foreclosure Prevention Program

  Free foreclosure counseling for any D.C. residential property owner, plus the forms and rules for the DISB foreclosure mediation program.

  (202) 442-7765

• Housing Counseling Services: DC Foreclosure Prevention Hotline

  Nonprofit that runs weekly foreclosure prevention clinics, one-on-one HUD-certified counseling and talks with lenders for D.C. homeowners.

  (202) 265-2255

• Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia: Consumer Protection

  Takes consumer complaints, including complaints about foreclosure rescue scams.

  202-442-9828

• DISB: File a Complaint or Report Fraud

  The District's banking regulator takes complaints about mortgage lenders, brokers and loan originators.

  (202) 727-8000

• D.C. Superior Court: Mortgage Foreclosure Sales

  Court page that lists the steps in a foreclosure case, with links to check your court date and join a remote hearing.

  202-879-1133

• Legal Aid DC

  Free legal help for D.C. residents with low income, including homeowners in foreclosure cases.

  202-628-1161

• LawHelp.org/DC: Foreclosures

  Questions and answers on both D.C. foreclosure routes, with a directory of free legal services.

• D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center: Free Legal Help

  The D.C. Bar's advice and referral clinics and court-based resource centers for people who cannot afford a lawyer.

DC Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF)

The DC Homeowner Assistance Fund is closed. The Department of Housing and Community Development says all HAF money was allocated as of June 2024 and the program will no longer provide grants or payments. The U.S. Treasury says HAF programs can no longer pay assistance after September 30, 2026. What is open: the District's Foreclosure Prevention Program gives free housing counseling to anyone who owns residential property in D.C. Call (202) 265-2255. We did not confirm any District mortgage payment grant that is open today.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Washington, D.C.