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Missouri · Weigh your options

How to stop a foreclosure in Missouri

Missouri gives you very little time once a sale is set, so the best options are the ones you use early. Working with your servicer before the 20-day notice goes out is the most realistic way to stop a Missouri foreclosure. Missouri has no state mediation program and no statutory right to reinstate, so read your deed of trust. None of these options is guaranteed to work in your case.

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

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

Ways to stop or delay a foreclosure in Missouri

  • Apply for loss mitigation with your servicer

    As early as you can, and well before the notice of sale

    Ask your servicer for a loan modification, repayment plan or forbearance and send every document it asks for. Under federal rules, a complete application sent in time can stop the servicer from moving to a sale while it is reviewed. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you fill it out for free.

    12 C.F.R. § 1024.41

  • Catch up or pay the amount owed

    Before the sale

    Missouri law does not set a right to reinstate, but your deed of trust may. The Missouri Bar says you have until the sale date to make arrangements with your lender or pay the total amount owed, including attorney fees. Get the exact amount in writing from the servicer or trustee.

    RSMo § 443.400

  • Ask the lender to agree to a postponement

    Before the sale starts

    The trustee can only continue a sale once, for up to 7 days, on its own. Longer delays need an agreement between you and the lender. Ask for any agreement in writing and confirm the new date with the trustee.

    RSMo § 443.355

  • Sell the home or ask for a short sale

    Before the sale

    The Missouri Bar says lenders might postpone a foreclosure if you have a pending sales contract that pays off the loan, which can protect your equity. If the home is worth less than you owe, ask your lender about a short sale or a deed in lieu, and ask in writing whether any shortfall will be forgiven.

  • Challenge a defective notice or sale

    Before the sale if possible

    The trustee must mail the notice at least 20 days before the sale, publish it the way the law requires and hold the sale in your county. If these steps were not followed, talk to legal aid or a licensed attorney right away about asking a court to stop or undo the sale.

    RSMo §§ 443.310, 443.320, 443.325

  • Bankruptcy stay

    Before the sale is held

    Filing bankruptcy stops a foreclosure sale while the stay lasts, and a Chapter 13 case can let you catch up over time if it is filed before the sale. Bankruptcy has serious costs and effects, so talk to a licensed bankruptcy attorney or legal aid first.

    11 U.S.C. §§ 362(a), 1322(c)(1)

  • Keep the right to redeem

    Written notice at the sale or within 10 days before the advertised date

    This does not stop the sale, but it can let you buy the home back within a year if the lender is the buyer. You must give the trustee written notice of your intent to redeem in time and then get a bond approved by the circuit court within 20 days after the sale.

    RSMo §§ 443.410, 443.420

What Missouri law gives you

The right to catch up and stop the sale

Limited right

We did not find a Missouri statute that gives you a set right to catch up and stop a trustee's sale. Your deed of trust may give you one, so read it. The Missouri Bar says that until the sale date you can make arrangements with your lender or pay the total amount owed, including attorney fees. If the property is paid off to the trustee before the sale, the trustee must record a certificate that works like a release of the deed of trust.

RSMo § 443.400

Foreclosure mediation

No statewide program

We did not find a statewide foreclosure mediation or settlement conference program in Missouri. The foreclosure statutes in RSMo Chapter 443 do not create one. Missouri law also says only state and federal law govern how home loans are enforced, and no city or county law may add to, change or delay foreclosure, so local programs that pause a sale are not allowed. A HUD-approved housing counselor or a legal aid office can help you deal with your servicer instead.

Mailed notice, and a way for others to get it too

The trustee must send the sale notice by certified or registered mail at least 20 days before the sale. Anyone, such as a family member, can record a request in the county recorder's office to get a copy of any sale notice on your deed of trust, and the trustee must mail it to them if the request was recorded at least 40 days before the sale.

RSMo § 443.325

Six-month pause after an owner dies

If the owner of a home with a deed of trust dies, no trustee's sale can take place within 6 months after the death. This gives the family time to sort out the estate and talk to the servicer.

RSMo § 443.300

Limits on the trustee's fee

A trustee's commission is capped at 2 percent of the first $1,000 of the sale, 1 percent of the amount between $1,000 and $5,000, and one half of 1 percent above that. A trustee who takes more can be sued for double the amount taken.

RSMo §§ 443.360, 443.370

No lockout without a court order

After the sale, the new owner must win an unlawful detainer case before you can be removed. Renters in a foreclosed home must get a notice, by mail and posted on the door, giving them at least 10 business days before any eviction case can be filed.

RSMo §§ 534.030, 534.350

The options your servicer can offer

Common questions in Missouri

Does Missouri have a foreclosure mediation program?

We did not find one. RSMo Chapter 443 does not create a mediation or settlement conference program, and RSMo section 443.454 says no city or county law may add to or delay the enforcement of a home loan. A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you negotiate with your servicer instead.

Is there a Missouri law that lets me catch up and stop the sale?

We found no Missouri statute that gives a set right to reinstate. Your deed of trust may include one, so read it or ask legal aid. Under RSMo section 443.400, if the debt is paid to the trustee before the sale, the trustee must record a certificate that releases the deed of trust.

Can a Missouri city or county stop my foreclosure?

No. RSMo section 443.454 says the enforcement of home loans is governed only by state and federal law. No local law or ordinance may add to, change or delay foreclosure, or add fees to it.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Missouri

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 Missouri overview

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Sources for this page

  1. RSMo § 443.350, Foreign trustee must have Missouri cotrustee
  2. RSMo § 443.380, Recitals in trustee's deed prima facie evidence
  3. RSMo § 534.090, Serving of summons
  4. RSMo § 443.290, Mortgages and security agreements with power of sale
  5. RSMo § 443.300, Death of debtor, foreclosure stayed
  6. RSMo § 443.310, Sales, where made, number of days' notice
  7. RSMo § 443.320, Notice, contents, how published
  8. RSMo § 443.325, Individual notice of foreclosure sale
  9. RSMo § 443.327, Times and places of trustee's sale
  10. RSMo § 443.355, Continuance of sale without readvertisement
  11. RSMo § 443.360, Compensation of trustees
  12. RSMo § 443.370, Penalty for overcharging
  13. RSMo § 443.400, Redemption before sale
  14. RSMo § 443.410, Foreclosures by trustee's sale, redemption
  15. RSMo § 443.420, Notice of redemption, how given
  16. RSMo § 443.430, Motion for approval of bond for redemption
  17. RSMo § 443.440, Certificate of sale, deed on failure to redeem
  18. RSMo § 443.454, Enforcement and servicing of real estate loans, local law preempted
  19. RSMo § 443.190, Petition to foreclose (judicial foreclosure)
  20. RSMo § 534.030, Unlawful detainer defined, foreclosure notice to tenants
  21. RSMo § 534.070, Complaint and summons, court date
  22. RSMo § 534.210, Merits of title cannot be inquired into
  23. RSMo § 534.330, Judgment for complainant
  24. RSMo § 534.350, Execution, when issued
  25. RSMo § 407.935, Foreclosure consultants, definitions
  26. RSMo § 407.937, Right to cancel contract
  27. RSMo § 407.938, Contract form and required notices
  28. RSMo § 407.940, Foreclosure consultants, unlawful acts
  29. RSMo § 407.943, Action against foreclosure consultant
  30. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank v. Sunrise Farms Development, LLC, No. 13-1479 (Dec. 13, 2013), describing Missouri deficiency law and First Bank v. Fischer & Frichtel
  31. Missouri Legal Services: Home Foreclosures
  32. Missouri Legal Services: Steps You Can Take to Avoid Foreclosure
  33. The Missouri Bar: Steps You Can Take to Avoid Foreclosure (brochure)
  34. Missouri Legal Services: Applying for Legal Aid
  35. SAFHR for Homeowners (Missouri HAF program)
  36. MHDC: Resources for Homeowners
  37. U.S. Department of the Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund
  38. Missouri Attorney General: Consumer Protection
  39. Missouri Division of Finance: Consumer Complaints
  40. The Missouri Bar: LawyerSearch
  41. Missouri Free Legal Answers
  42. Missouri Department of Revenue: Property Tax Credit