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Foreclosure mediation in Iowa

Iowa has no court-ordered mediation for home foreclosures, but state law requires lenders to tell you about free counseling and mediation, and Iowa Mortgage Help offers it. Iowa Mortgage Help is a statewide hotline supported by the Iowa Finance Authority, the Attorney General and Iowa Legal Aid that provides foreclosure counseling and negotiation and mediation with your servicer. The lender does not have to agree to anything.

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

Reviewed against Iowa law and official sources on October 11, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

How foreclosure mediation works in Iowa, step by step

  1. Who it is for

    Before or after a foreclosure is filed

    The mediation notice law covers one or two family homes that are the owner's residence. Iowa Mortgage Help takes calls whether you are already behind or expect trouble soon.

    Iowa Code § 654.4B(2)

  2. You get a mediation notice twice

    Before filing and with the court papers

    Before filing a foreclosure on your home, the lender's attorney must mail you a notice of counseling and mediation with the first letter, and serve it again with the foreclosure petition.

    Iowa Code § 654.4B(2)

  3. Call or apply to Iowa Mortgage Help

    As soon as you get the notice

    Call the hotline at 877-622-4866 or fill out the online application. Hotline staff take basic information and refer you to a local certified counseling agency, which gathers your financial details.

  4. Free counseling, negotiation and legal help

    During the process

    Iowa Mortgage Help says it provides foreclosure intervention and negotiation and mediation with servicers and lenders, and that Iowans who take part can get free legal services through Iowa Legal Aid.

  5. If you never got the notice

    Before the sheriff's sale

    If the court finds the notice was not served and you want counseling or mediation, it must delay the sheriff's sale, or delay recording the sheriff's deed if the lender bought the home, by up to 60 days. You must apply and have the delay granted before the sale or recording date.

    Iowa Code § 654.4B(2)

  6. What it does not do

    Throughout

    This is voluntary. It does not stop the court case by itself, and the lender is not required to agree to a modification. Keep answering the petition and watching court deadlines while you work with a counselor.

  7. Farmland is different

    Before a farm foreclosure

    For agricultural property, a creditor must file a mediation request with the farm mediation service and generally cannot start a foreclosure until it receives a mediation release, unless a court finds the delay would cause it irreparable harm.

    Iowa Code § 654A.6

The program in Iowa

Foreclosure mediation

Program available

Iowa has no court-ordered mediation for home foreclosures, but there is a free voluntary route. State law makes the lender send you a notice about counseling and mediation before it files and again with the court papers. That notice points to Iowa Mortgage Help, a hotline run with the Iowa Finance Authority, the Attorney General and Iowa Legal Aid, which says it offers free counseling plus negotiation and mediation with your servicer. Call 877-622-4866 or use the request form on its site. The lender is not required to agree to anything. For farmland, mediation is mandatory: a creditor must file a mediation request with the farm mediation service and get a release before it can sue.

Official program page

Common questions in Iowa

Who runs Iowa Mortgage Help?

It is a partnership supported by the Iowa Finance Authority, the Iowa Attorney General's office and Iowa Legal Aid. The hotline refers callers to local certified counseling agencies. Questions about the initiative itself can go to the Iowa Finance Authority at 800-432-7230.

Can Iowa Mortgage Help make my lender accept a modification?

No. It can help you prepare an application and negotiate or mediate with your servicer, but the lender does not have to agree. You still need to meet every court deadline in your foreclosure.

What can I do if my Iowa lender skipped the mediation notice?

Ask the court for a delay. If the court finds the notice was not served and you want counseling or mediation, it must delay the sheriff's sale, or the recording of the sheriff's deed when the lender won the bid, by up to 60 days. The request must be granted before the sale or recording date.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Iowa

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.

Also in Iowa

Foreclosure mediation (this page)Property tax foreclosure Claim surplus funds Deficiency judgments Letters you may get

Back to the Iowa overview

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Sources for this page

  1. Iowa Code § 642.21: Exemption from net earnings
  2. Iowa Mortgage Help: Contact Us
  3. Iowa Mortgage Help: Application
  4. Iowa Code 2026, chapter 654: Foreclosure of Real Estate Mortgages
  5. Iowa Code § 654.2D: Nonagricultural land, notice, right to cure default
  6. Iowa Code § 654.2A: Agricultural land, notice, right to cure default
  7. Iowa Code § 654.4B: Notice of mortgage mediation assistance
  8. Iowa Code § 654.18: Alternative nonjudicial voluntary foreclosure procedure
  9. Iowa Code § 654.20: Foreclosure without redemption, nonagricultural land
  10. Iowa Code § 654.21: Demand for delay of sale
  11. Iowa Code § 654.26: No deficiency judgment in certain cases
  12. Iowa Code § 654.7: Overplus
  13. Iowa Code § 615.1: Execution on certain judgments prohibited
  14. Iowa Code § 626.78: Notice to defendant
  15. Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, chapter 1 (rule 1.303)
  16. Iowa Code § 626.75: Posting and publication of sale notice
  17. Iowa Code § 628.3: Redemption by debtor
  18. Iowa Code § 628.26: Agreement to reduce period of redemption
  19. Iowa Code § 628.28: Redemption of property not used for agricultural or certain residential purposes
  20. Iowa Code § 655A.9: Nonjudicial foreclosure, application of chapter
  21. Iowa Code § 654A.6: Mandatory farm mediation proceedings
  22. Iowa Code § 714E.4: Foreclosure consultants, violations
  23. Iowa Code § 714F.4: Foreclosure reconveyances, contract cancellation
  24. Iowa Code § 425.17: Property tax credit definitions
  25. Iowa Code § 427.9: Suspension of taxes
  26. Iowa Legal Aid: Mortgage Foreclosures and Land Contract Forfeitures (updated September 19, 2025)
  27. Iowa Legal Aid: Foreclosure and Forfeiture Questions and Answers (updated July 30, 2025)
  28. Iowa Mortgage Help: About
  29. Iowa Mortgage Help: Request for Statutory Mediation Notice
  30. Iowa Attorney General: Home and Property (Foreclosure Assistance)
  31. Iowa Division of Banking: How Do I File a Complaint?
  32. Iowa Department of Revenue: Property Tax Credit Expanded and Credit Calculation Amended
  33. Iowa State Bar Association: Ways to Get Legal Help
  34. U.S. Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund