Iowa · What this letter means
Iowa foreclosure letters and notices
The papers Iowa homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the Iowa document, explains the deadline it starts under Iowa law, and lists what to do this week.
- Step 1
Notice of Right to Cure
Before an Iowa lender can call your whole loan due or file a foreclosure on the home you live in, it must give you a written notice of right to cure. You then have 30 days to pay the missed installments, or the amount in the notice if that is less. If you cure, your loan goes back to normal.
What it means - Step 2
Mortgage Mediation Notice
The Mortgage Mediation Notice is a one-page form that Iowa law requires your lender's attorney to send you twice: with its first letter and again with the foreclosure petition. It tells you free counseling and mediation are available through Iowa Mortgage Help at 1-877-622-4866. Getting it means a foreclosure has started or is about to.
What it means - Step 3
Original Notice and Petition (foreclosure)
In Iowa, a foreclosure case starts when you are served with an original notice and the lender's petition. You have 20 days after service to serve an answer or motion. Read the first page closely: if it says the plaintiff elected foreclosure without redemption, you have a right to file a demand for delay of sale before judgment.
What it means - Step 4
Notice of Intent to File Written Application for Default
If you did not answer the foreclosure petition within 20 days, the lender must mail you a notice of intent to file written application for default before the clerk can enter your default. It gives you at least 10 days, counted from the date it was mailed. Treat it as your last warning to file an answer and, in most cases, a demand for delay of sale.
What it means - Step 5
Notice of Sheriff's Sale
After judgment, the county sheriff sells the home at a public auction. The sale must be posted and published at least 4 weeks ahead, and if you live in the home the sheriff must serve you with written notice at least 20 days before. Whether you can stay after the sale depends on which track your case is on.
What it means - Step 6
Three-day notice to quit after a sheriff's sale
After an Iowa foreclosure sale, you can be removed only by court order. Iowa Legal Aid says many foreclosure decrees already contain that order. If yours does not, the buyer must give you a written 3-day notice to quit before filing an eviction case, and the court then sets a hearing within about 8 days of filing.
What it means
Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in Iowa.