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Missouri · What this letter means

Missouri foreclosure letters and notices

The papers Missouri homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the Missouri document, explains the deadline it starts under Missouri law, and lists what to do this week.

  1. Step 1

    Notice of Trustee's Sale

    In Missouri, this certified letter is often the only foreclosure notice the law requires. The sale can be held as soon as 20 days after it is mailed, whether or not you pick it up. It is also your cue to send a notice of intent to redeem if you may want to buy the home back.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Notice of Intent to Redeem (and redemption bond)

    Missouri has an unusual one-year right to buy your home back, but only if the lender (or someone buying for it) buys at the sale. To keep that right, you must give the trustee written notice of your intent to redeem at the sale or within 10 days before it, then get a bond approved by the circuit court within 20 days after the sale.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Trustee's Deed (or Certificate of Sale)

    After a Missouri trustee's sale, the trustee gives the buyer a trustee's deed, which usually ends your rights in the home. If you gave notice of intent to redeem and a bond was approved, the buyer gets a certificate of sale instead, and the deed waits until your one-year redemption time runs out. Neither one is an eviction order.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Written Notice of Foreclosure and Demand for Possession

    After a Missouri foreclosure sale, the new owner must give you written notice of the foreclosure and a written demand to give up the home before it can file an unlawful detainer case. Missouri law sets no minimum number of days for a former owner. It is not a court order, and no one can remove you without one.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Notice to Occupant Following Foreclosure

    If you rented a Missouri home that was sold at a trustee's foreclosure sale, the new owner must send you this notice before it can try to remove you. No eviction case can be filed until at least 10 business days after the date of the notice. Staying does not make you the new owner's tenant unless you sign a new agreement.

    What it means
  6. Step 6

    Unlawful Detainer Summons

    An unlawful detainer summons means the new owner has filed an eviction case in circuit court. The court date must be within 21 business days of the summons unless the owner agreed to later. Go to court on that date. The judge decides who has the right to possession, not who owns the home.

    What it means

Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in Missouri.