Free foreclosure help in Maine

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. Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, Foreclosure Prevention Hotline at 1-888-664-2569 gives free advice weekdays and can refer you to a HUD-approved housing counselor to review your budget.

• You are behind or got a notice of right to cure

  Within days; you have at least 35 days to cure

  Call Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, Foreclosure Prevention Hotline at 1-888-664-2569. A counselor can check the cure amount in your notice and help you apply to your servicer for a workout. MaineHousing lists current homeowner programs, but its Homeowner Assistance Fund is closed.

  14 M.R.S. § 6111

• You were served with a foreclosure complaint

  Immediately; 20 days to respond

  Return the mediation request form and read Maine Judicial Branch, Foreclosure Help. Maine Judicial Branch, Foreclosure Diversion Program at (207) 822-0706 can answer questions about mediation. Contact Pine Tree Legal Assistance for free legal help if you qualify, or the Maine State Bar Association, Lawyer Referral Service to find a private lawyer.

  14 M.R.S. § 6321-A

• Judgment has entered or a sale is advertised

  The same day; redemption lasts only 90 days

  Call Pine Tree Legal Assistance or a lawyer through the Maine State Bar Association, Lawyer Referral Service about your options and deadlines. Ask your servicer, in writing, whether it will postpone the sale or let you redeem or reinstate.

  14 M.R.S. §§ 6322, 6323

• Your servicer is not following the rules

  As soon as the problem happens

  Keep notes and copies, and send your servicer a written complaint. File with Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, File a Complaint, the state regulator for mortgage servicers. If the case is in mediation, tell the mediator, who can report a failure to negotiate in good faith.

  14 M.R.S. § 6321-A(12), (13)

• Someone offers to buy your home or save it for a fee

  Before you sign or pay anything

  Maine requires foreclosure purchasers to be licensed and use a written contract you can cancel until midnight of the fifth business day after signing. Never sign over your deed without a lawyer. Report problems to Maine Attorney General, Consumer Complaint or the Foreclosure Prevention Hotline.

  32 M.R.S. §§ 6191 to 6200

Official and nonprofit help in Maine

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

• Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, Foreclosure Prevention Hotline

  The state's free foreclosure hotline, answered weekdays, which gives advice and refers you to a HUD-approved housing counselor.

  1-888-664-2569

• Maine Judicial Branch, Foreclosure Diversion Program

  The court mediation program for homeowners who live in the home being foreclosed.

  (207) 822-0706

• Maine Judicial Branch, Foreclosure Help

  The court's plain-language guide to responding to a foreclosure complaint, mediation and what happens after judgment.

• MaineHousing

  The state housing finance agency, which ran the Homeowner Assistance Fund and lists current homeowner programs.

• Pine Tree Legal Assistance

  Maine's statewide free civil legal aid organization for people with low incomes.

• Maine Attorney General, Consumer Complaint

  Takes complaints about businesses and offers consumer mediation.

• Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, File a Complaint

  The state regulator that takes complaints about mortgage servicers and other lenders.

• Maine State Bar Association, Lawyer Referral Service

  Connects you with a private Maine attorney for a consultation.

Maine Homeowner Assistance Fund

MaineHousing announced that the Maine Homeowner Assistance Fund would stop taking new applications on January 10, 2024. We did not find any later reopening. Free help is still available from the state's Foreclosure Prevention Hotline at 1-888-664-2569, which refers homeowners to HUD-approved housing counselors.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Maine