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Florida · What this letter means

Florida foreclosure letters and notices

The papers Florida homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the Florida document, explains the deadline it starts under Florida law, and lists what to do this week.

  1. Step 1

    Summons and Complaint to Foreclose Mortgage

    In Florida a lender cannot sell your home without a court case, and the summons is how that case reaches you. You have 20 calendar days after you are served to file a written response with the clerk. A phone call to the lender does not count as a response.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Order to Show Cause for Entry of Final Judgment of Foreclosure

    An order to show cause under Fla. Stat. § 702.10 sets a hearing where you must show why the judge should not enter a final judgment of foreclosure. If you do not appear or file papers, the judge can treat that as giving up your right to be heard. It is one of the fastest routes to a foreclosure judgment in Florida.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Final Judgment of Foreclosure

    The final judgment is the judge's order that the clerk sell your home if the amount in it is not paid. It sets the sale date, usually 20 to 35 days later. You can still stop the sale by paying the full judgment amount before the clerk files the certificate of sale.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Notice of Sale (Notice of Foreclosure Sale)

    In Florida the notice of sale is the public ad for the clerk's auction of your home after a final judgment. It must run for at least 2 weeks before the sale. Until the clerk files the certificate of sale, you can still stop the sale by paying the full judgment amount.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Certificate of Sale and Certificate of Title

    The certificate of sale is the clerk's record that your home was sold at auction, and filing it ends your right to pay off the judgment. If no one objects within 10 days, the clerk files a certificate of title and the buyer becomes the owner.

    What it means
  6. Step 6

    Writ of Possession

    A writ of possession is the court paper that orders the sheriff to remove everyone from the home and put the new owner in possession. In Florida it comes after the certificate of title and a court order. Clerks report that once the sheriff serves it, everyone must be out within 24 hours.

    What it means

Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in Florida.