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Free foreclosure help in Massachusetts

Free help is available in Massachusetts from the Attorney General's office, the Division of Banks, legal aid programs and HUD-approved housing counselors. Start with the organization that matches your situation below. You never have to pay a company to apply for a modification or to ask for a delay of your auction.

Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

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

Ask for help in Massachusetts

Free. A person replies with the options and official help that fit. Messages about a scheduled sale are answered first.

For example: a sale date, what your servicer has told you, or what changed in your income. Please do not include your loan number, Social Security number or bank details.

Free, and there is nothing to buy. A person reads your message and replies by email, or by phone if you leave a number. We never ask for a fee and we do not sell your details. See the privacy policy.

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; the Attorney General says you do not have to be behind to ask for a modification if you are at risk of default. MassHousing is the state housing finance agency. Homeowner Assistance Fund and RAFT information confirms Mass HAF is closed and explains RAFT emergency help for homeowners with low incomes.

  • You are behind or got a right to cure notice

    Within days of the notice; the cure period is 90 days

    Your notice must list phone numbers for MassHousing and the Massachusetts Division of Banks. Call a HUD-approved housing counselor to help you apply for a workout. Massachusetts Attorney General, Mortgage Lending and Foreclosures answers questions at 617-727-8400.

    M.G.L. c. 244, § 35A(c)

  • You got a Servicemembers complaint

    Before the return day on the Order of Notice

    Land Court, Servicemembers Cases Resources explains what the papers mean. If you or someone you depend on is in the military, file an Answer, and the Land Court will appoint a military attorney for a servicemember. If not, call Massachusetts Legal Services, Find Legal Aid now, because a sale notice may follow soon.

  • An auction date has been set

    The same day; within 7 days, call the Division of Banks

    If the sale is within 7 days, the Massachusetts Division of Banks Consumer Assistance Unit at (617) 956-1501 can make a one-time request for a pause. Find a free lawyer through Massachusetts Legal Services, Find Legal Aid, or a private one through the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.

  • Your servicer is not following the rules

    As soon as the problem happens

    File a complaint with Massachusetts Attorney General, Mortgage Lending and Foreclosures, or with the Massachusetts Division of Banks, which regulates servicers. MassLegalHelp, Homeowners Facing Foreclosure explains the notices the bank must give. Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries, Law About Mortgage Foreclosure collects the laws and cases.

  • A rescue company or home buyer contacted you

    Before you sign or pay anything

    The Attorney General says its rules ban upfront fees for loan modification help, and it warns against signing over your deed for a promise to stay or buy it back later. Report it to Massachusetts Attorney General, Mortgage Lending and Foreclosures at 617-727-8400.

    940 CMR 25.00

Official and nonprofit help in Massachusetts

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

Need a private foreclosure lawyer?

License-checked lawyers who represent homeowners, by area:

Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund (Mass HAF)

The state's Homeowner Assistance Fund page says the program is now closed. The same page points homeowners with low incomes to the state-funded Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, and tells anyone with a foreclosure set in the next seven days to contact the Division of Banks.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Massachusetts

Where can I get a free foreclosure lawyer in Massachusetts?

Use Massachusetts Legal Services, Find Legal Aid to look for the free civil legal aid program for your area. Legal aid programs often have income limits. If you do not qualify, the Attorney General lists the Mass Bar Lawyer Referral Service at (617) 654-0400.

Is Mass HAF still taking applications?

No. The state's Homeowner Assistance Fund page says the program is closed, and the federal HAF period ended on September 30, 2026. The same state page points homeowners with low incomes to RAFT, a state-funded emergency housing program.

Does the Massachusetts Attorney General help with mortgage problems?

Yes. The Attorney General's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division takes consumer complaints about servicers, including trouble getting a modification reviewed, and its hotline is (617) 727-8400. It also lists foreclosure scam warning signs on its website.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Massachusetts

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.

Back to the Massachusetts overview

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Sources for this page

  1. M.G.L. c. 244, § 15, Copy of notice; affidavit; recording
  2. M.G.L. c. 244, § 15A, Mortgagee taking possession or conveying title; notice
  3. M.G.L. c. 239, § 1, Persons entitled to summary process
  4. Land Court, Frequently asked questions about Servicemembers cases
  5. Division of Banks, FAQ about the January 1, 2016 updates to the Right to Cure Notice
  6. Division of Banks, Help for Distressed Homeowners
  7. MassLegalHelp, Homeowners facing foreclosure (reviewed October 2025)
  8. M.G.L. c. 244, § 14, Foreclosure under power of sale
  9. M.G.L. c. 244, § 17A, Limitation of actions
  10. M.G.L. c. 244, § 17B, Notice of intention to foreclose
  11. M.G.L. c. 244, § 18, Persons authorized to redeem
  12. M.G.L. c. 244, § 35A, Right to cure a default
  13. M.G.L. c. 244, § 35B, Good faith effort to avoid foreclosure
  14. M.G.L. c. 244, § 35C, Creditor actions in violation of chapter
  15. M.G.L. c. 183, § 27, Disposition of proceeds of foreclosure sale
  16. Acts of 2024, Chapter 150 (Affordable Homes Act), foreclosure mediation pilot
  17. Mass.gov, Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF)
  18. Mass. Attorney General, Frequently asked questions about mortgages and foreclosure
  19. Mass. Attorney General, Preventing Foreclosure
  20. Mass. Attorney General, Foreclosure-related scams
  21. 940 CMR 25.00, Foreclosure rescue transactions and foreclosure-related services
  22. Land Court Servicemembers Cases Resources
  23. Trial Court Law Libraries, Massachusetts law about mortgage foreclosure