Skip to main content
How to Avoid
Foreclosure
Get free help

Michigan · Get help now

Free foreclosure help in Michigan

Free foreclosure help is available in Michigan, and who to call first depends on where you are in the process. The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund closed years ago, so most help today is free counseling, legal information and complaint handling. Every organization below is a government office or nonprofit, except the lawyer referral service, which connects you with private attorneys. None of them should charge you an upfront fee to save your home.

Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

Reviewed against Michigan law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Ask for help in Michigan

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 to be

    As soon as you see trouble coming

    Call your servicer and ask about hardship options such as forbearance or a repayment plan. Use the MSHDA Housing Education Locator to find a free housing counselor near you who can review your budget and options.

  • You are behind but have not seen a foreclosure notice

    Before you are 120 days behind

    Ask your servicer for a loss mitigation application and send every document it asks for. A counselor found through the MSHDA Housing Education Locator can help you fill it out and talk with your servicer. Michigan Legal Help, Foreclosure and Eviction for Homeowners explains each step of the process.

  • A foreclosure notice was published or posted on your home

    The same day; the sale can be about 4 weeks after the first publication

    Write down the sale date and the foreclosing attorney's phone number from the notice. Use the Guide to Legal Help on Michigan Legal Help, Foreclosure and Eviction for Homeowners to look for free legal aid, or contact the State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service to reach a private attorney.

    MCL 600.3208, 600.3212

  • A sheriff's sale date is set

    Today

    Call the foreclosing attorney named in the notice to confirm the date and ask for a payoff or reinstatement figure in writing, and call your servicer about any pending application. For advice on stopping the sale, contact a licensed attorney through the State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service.

    MCL 600.3212(1)(h), 600.3220

  • Your servicer is not following the rules

    Before the sale if possible

    File a complaint with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, File a Complaint, which takes complaints about mortgage servicers and lenders. Keep copies of every letter, statement and application you sent.

  • A foreclosure rescue company contacted you

    Before you sign or pay anything

    Under Michigan's Credit Services Protection Act, a company paid to help with a foreclosure cannot collect any money before it finishes every service it promised. Never sign over your deed to someone who says you can stay. Report problems to the Michigan Attorney General, Consumer Protection.

    MCL 445.1822, 445.1823

  • You got an eviction summons after the redemption period

    Before your court date

    Read Michigan Legal Help, Foreclosure and Eviction for Homeowners, which explains the eviction case and links to its eviction guides. Go to court on the date in the summons, and ask the new owner about more time to move if you need it.

    MCL 600.5714(1)(g)

Official and nonprofit help in Michigan

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

Need a private foreclosure lawyer?

License-checked lawyers who represent homeowners, by area:

Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF)

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority announced that the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund application period would end December 8, 2023. The program's old web page no longer exists, and we found no sign that it reopened. MSHDA still runs a Housing Education Locator for finding a housing counselor.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Michigan

Is the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund still open?

No. MSHDA announced that the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund application period would end December 8, 2023, and we found no sign that it reopened. The U.S. Treasury says HAF money can no longer be used to help homeowners after September 30, 2026. MSHDA's Housing Education Locator still helps you find a free counselor.

How do I find a free foreclosure lawyer in Michigan?

Start with Michigan Legal Help, Foreclosure and Eviction for Homeowners, whose Guide to Legal Help points you to legal aid offices that may take your case for free if you qualify. If you do not qualify, the State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a private Michigan attorney.

Can a Michigan foreclosure consultant charge me before helping?

No. Michigan's Credit Services Protection Act covers anyone paid to give advice or help about a mortgage foreclosure, and it bans charging or collecting money before every agreed service is finished (MCL 445.1823). Lawyers, licensed lenders and banks are among those exempt. Report violations to the Michigan Attorney General, Consumer Protection.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Michigan

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 Michigan overview

Free, official, nationwide

Free help anywhere in the country

Sources for this page

  1. MCL 600.3216, Sale; time and place
  2. MCL 600.3241, Abandonment of premises; presumption
  3. MCL 600.3241a, Abandoned residential property; notice
  4. MCL 600.5714, Summary proceedings to recover possession
  5. MCL 600.5744, Writ of restitution; timing
  6. MCL 211.78g, Tax delinquency; forfeiture to county treasurer
  7. MCL 211.78k, Tax foreclosure judgment; redemption
  8. MCL 211.78t, Claims for remaining proceeds after tax foreclosure
  9. MCL 600.3204, Foreclosure by advertisement; circumstances
  10. MCL 600.3205a to 600.3205d, Repealed
  11. MCL 600.3208, Notice of foreclosure; publication; posting
  12. MCL 600.3212, Notice of foreclosure by advertisement; contents
  13. MCL 600.3220, Sale; adjournment
  14. MCL 600.3238, Inspection of property during redemption
  15. MCL 600.3240, Redemption of premises
  16. MCL 600.3252, Disposition of surplus money
  17. MCL 600.3280, Foreclosure by advertisement; deficiency; defenses
  18. MCL 445.1822, Credit Services Protection Act, definitions
  19. MCL 445.1823, Credit Services Protection Act, prohibited conduct
  20. Michigan Legal Help, Foreclosure and Eviction for Homeowners
  21. MSHDA, Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund application period to end December 8, 2023