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New Jersey · Weigh your options

How to stop a foreclosure in New Jersey

New Jersey gives you several real ways to stop or delay a foreclosure, and most of them are strongest early. Your right to catch up on the default lasts until final judgment, the court's mediation program is free, and you can get sheriff's sale adjournments without going to court. After the sale, you have only a 10-day window. Nothing here is a promise of a result.

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

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

Ways to stop or delay a foreclosure in New Jersey

  • Cure the default before final judgment

    Any time up to the entry of final judgment

    New Jersey law lets you pay what is past due and keep the loan, plus the lender's court costs and attorney fees up to the amount the court rules allow once the case is filed. Ask the lender's contact for a written cure figure.

    N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56(c)(7), 2A:50-57(a)

  • Apply for a loan modification with a free counselor

    As early as possible, ideally after the Notice of Intention arrives

    NJHMFA's Foreclosure Mediation Assistance Program offers free counseling through HUD-certified agencies in every county, even before you are sued. Your counselor can help you send your servicer a complete application.

  • Request court mediation

    Up to 60 days after service of the complaint; later only by motion

    The home must be your primary residence and 1 to 4 units, all borrowers must take part, and you cannot be in bankruptcy. A trained counselor must sign your certification. The lender must attend through someone with authority to consider alternatives to foreclosure.

    N.J.S.A. 2A:50-77, 2A:50-78

  • File an answer and raise defenses

    Within 35 days after you are served

    An answer moves the case to a judge and makes the lender prove its case. Problems with the Notice of Intention, such as missing information or wrong timing, are among the issues a lawyer may raise.

    N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56; R. 4:6-1

  • Use your 2 sheriff's adjournments, then ask the court

    Before the sale; each adjournment up to 30 days

    You can ask the sheriff for 2 adjournments without a court order. After that, you must file a motion with the General Equity judge in your county asking for a stay, and only a signed order stops the sale.

    N.J.S.A. 2A:17-36

  • File for bankruptcy

    Before the sheriff's sale

    A bankruptcy filing triggers a federal automatic stay. It has long-term effects, so talk with a bankruptcy attorney or legal aid first.

    11 U.S.C. § 362(a)

  • Object to the sale or redeem within 10 days

    Within 10 days after the sheriff's sale

    A motion objecting to the sale must be served within 10 days, and it needs a real reason, such as fraud, an irregularity in the sale, or a price well below fair market value. The courts' self-help page says you have 10 days after the sale to redeem.

    R. 4:65-5

What New Jersey law gives you

The right to catch up and stop the sale

Right to reinstate

Yes. Under the Fair Foreclosure Act you can cure the default, meaning pay what is past due and keep the loan, at any time up to the entry of final judgment. If the lawsuit has started, you must also pay the lender's court costs and attorney fees, up to the amount the court rules allow. In an uncontested case, the lender's 14-day notice before final judgment is your last warning; a timely good-faith statement that you can cure within 45 days buys at least 46 days from that notice.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56(c)(7), 2A:50-57(a), 2A:50-58

Foreclosure mediation

Program available

Yes. The New Jersey Judiciary runs a free Foreclosure Mediation Program, written into law by the New Jersey Foreclosure Mediation Act. It is for owner-occupied 1 to 4 family homes. You can request it up to 60 days after you are served; later requests need a court order on a motion. All borrowers on the loan must take part, you cannot be in bankruptcy, and a free housing counselor from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) program must sign your certification. There is no fee. Mediation does not stop the lawsuit by itself. The courts also offer free pre-foreclosure mediation for homeowners who are behind or at risk but have not been sued.

Detailed Notice of Intention to Foreclose

The lender must mail a written notice at least 30 and no more than 180 days before filing, listing the exact cure amount and deadline, your right to cure, legal help options, and the free mediation and counseling programs. If more than 180 days pass without a lawsuit, it must send a new notice.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56

Right to cure until final judgment

You can catch up on the default and stop the foreclosure at any time before final judgment is entered, paying the past-due amount plus allowed costs and fees.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-57(a)

Free court mediation with a free counselor

Owner-occupants of 1 to 4 family homes can use the Judiciary's mediation program at no cost. Lenders must attend with someone who has authority to consider alternatives, and the court can fine a party up to $1,000 for skipping a session.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-77, 2A:50-78

Community Wealth Preservation Program (2024)

Since January 12, 2024, a homeowner sued in foreclosure (if an individual), next of kin, or a qualifying tenant who has financing may have a right of first refusal to buy the home at the sheriff's sale for the posted upset price, with a 3.5 percent deposit. It applies only to primary residences of up to 4 units, and the homeowner must show a hardship: financial hardship, an illness that stops you from earning income, divorce or separation, the death of a spouse or child, or predatory lending. Before it posts the upset price, the lender may not contact you to ask whether you plan to bid, and it may not delay the sale because you do.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-64 (P.L.2023, c.255)

Fair market value credit against a deficiency

If the lender sues for a deficiency, you can dispute it, and the court subtracts the home's fair market value at the time of the sale. The lender must sue within 3 months.

N.J.S.A. 2A:50-2, 2A:50-3

The options your servicer can offer

Common questions in New Jersey

How long do I have to catch up on my mortgage in a New Jersey foreclosure?

Until final judgment is entered, under N.J.S.A. 2A:50-57. After the case is filed, you must also pay the lender's costs and attorney fees within the limits set by the court rules. Once final judgment is entered, that right to cure ends.

Who qualifies for New Jersey's foreclosure mediation program?

Owner-occupants of 1 to 4 family homes facing a foreclosure by a mortgage lender. Condo or HOA liens and tax liens are not covered, all borrowers must agree to take part, and you cannot be in bankruptcy. There is no fee, and the free counselor is arranged through NJHMFA's counseling network.

Can I get mediation if more than 60 days have passed since I was served?

Possibly, but not automatically. After 60 days you must file a motion in the county where the case is pending and get a court order letting you into the program. Attach that order to your mediation request.

How many times can I postpone a sheriff's sale in New Jersey?

Under N.J.S.A. 2A:17-36, the sheriff can grant 2 adjournments at your request and 2 at the lender's, plus 1 if both agree, each for up to 30 days. Anything more requires a court order for cause.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in New Jersey

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 New Jersey overview

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Sources for this page

  1. New Jersey Courts: Notice to Residential Tenants of Rights During Foreclosure (CN 11351)
  2. Legal Services of New Jersey: Free LSNJLAW Hotline
  3. NJHMFA: Find a Counselor
  4. P.L.2019, c.64, New Jersey Foreclosure Mediation Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:50-74 to 2A:50-80)
  5. P.L.2019, c.69, amending N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56 (Notice of Intention, 30 to 180 days)
  6. P.L.2019, c.70, further amending N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56
  7. P.L.2019, c.71, amending N.J.S.A. 2A:50-64 and 2A:17-36 (sheriff's sale within 150 days; adjournments)
  8. P.L.2006, c.13, amending N.J.S.A. 2A:50-58 (14-day notice before final judgment)
  9. P.L.2023, c.255, Community Wealth Preservation Program (approved January 12, 2024)
  10. P.L.2011, c.146, Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act (N.J.S.A. 46:10B-53 et seq.)
  11. New Jersey Courts: Foreclosure self-help
  12. New Jersey Courts, Superior Court Clerk's Office: Foreclosure
  13. New Jersey Courts: How to Apply for Foreclosure Mediation (CN 11270, revised September 1, 2021)
  14. New Jersey Courts: Stay of Sheriff's Sale Notice of Motion Instructions (CN 11277, revised September 19, 2022)
  15. New Jersey Courts: How to File for a Writ of Possession in a Foreclosure Case (CN 11978)
  16. New Jersey Courts press release: courts help residents at risk of foreclosure (October 2023, pre-foreclosure mediation)
  17. Bayview Loan Servicing v. Rauch, App. Div. A-4384-18 (quoting N.J.S.A. 2A:50-57(a): cure up to entry of final judgment)
  18. Newrez LLC v. Inzana, App. Div. A-3866-24 (decided February 19, 2026; quoting R. 4:65-5)
  19. West Pleasant-CPGT, Inc. v. U.S. Home Corp., N.J. Supreme Court A-1-19 (July 8, 2020; N.J.S.A. 2A:50-2, 2A:50-3)
  20. Wells Fargo Bank v. Khorami, Ch. Div. F-11387-22 (August 20, 2024; surplus under N.J.S.A. 2A:50-37 and R. 4:64-3)
  21. NJHMFA: Foreclosure Prevention
  22. NJHMFA: NJ Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance (no longer accepting applications)
  23. U.S. Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund (period of performance ended September 30, 2026)
  24. NJ Department of Banking and Insurance: Home Mortgage Foreclosures
  25. NJ Department of Banking and Insurance: Foreclosure Consultants