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Free foreclosure help in North Carolina

Free foreclosure help exists in North Carolina, and who to call first depends on where you are in the process. The state's Homeowner Assistance Fund is closed, so most help today is free counseling, legal aid and complaint handling. Every organization below is a government office, a court or a 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 North Carolina law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Ask for help in North Carolina

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. Then call the NC Housing Finance Agency: State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project at 1-888-442-8188 to be connected for free with a HUD-approved housing counselor.

  • You are behind but have not received 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 through the NC Housing Finance Agency: State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project can help you fill it out and talk with your servicer for you.

  • You received the 45-day notice or a notice of hearing

    Within days; the hearing can be as soon as 10 days after service

    Apply to Legal Aid of North Carolina: Foreclosures online or at 1-866-219-5262 (weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The North Carolina Judicial Branch: Foreclosures help topic explains the hearing, continuances and appeals in plain language.

    N.C.G.S. §§ 45-102, 45-21.16

  • A sale date is set

    Today; the sale can be as soon as 20 days after the notice of sale

    Call the trustee named on your notice to confirm the date and ask for a written payoff, and call your servicer about any pending application. For legal advice on stopping the sale, contact Legal Aid of North Carolina or a licensed attorney through the North Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service at 919-677-8574.

    N.C.G.S. §§ 45-21.17, 45-21.20

  • Your servicer is not following the rules

    Before the hearing or sale if possible

    File a complaint with the NC Office of the Commissioner of Banks: Consumer Inquiries and Complaints if your servicer is a company it regulates, or call 919-733-3016. Missing notices or wrong amounts can also matter at the clerk's hearing, so talk to legal aid too.

    N.C.G.S. §§ 45-91, 45-93

  • A foreclosure rescue company or investor contacted you

    Before you sign or pay anything

    The North Carolina Department of Justice: Foreclosure and Loan Modification page says it is illegal to charge an upfront fee for foreclosure assistance or loan modification services in North Carolina. Never sign over your deed to someone promising you can stay. Report scams online or at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

    N.C.G.S. §§ 14-423, 75-121

Official and nonprofit help in North Carolina

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

Need a private foreclosure lawyer?

License-checked lawyers who represent homeowners, by area:

NC Homeowner Assistance Fund (NCHAF)

The NC Homeowner Assistance Fund stopped taking new applications in November 2023, according to the state's NC Pandemic Recovery Office, and the U.S. Treasury says HAF money can no longer be used to help homeowners now that the federal HAF period has ended. The NC Housing Finance Agency's current Avoid Foreclosure page does not list the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund or any other mortgage payment program. What it does offer is free help through the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project: call 1-888-442-8188 to be connected to a HUD-approved housing counselor, who can work with your servicer and refer lower-income homeowners to free legal services.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in North Carolina

Where can I find a free foreclosure lawyer in North Carolina?

Start with Legal Aid of North Carolina, a statewide nonprofit that represents some low-income homeowners in foreclosure cases. Apply online or call 1-866-219-5262. If you do not qualify, the North Carolina Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service can refer you to a lawyer who offers a first 30-minute consultation for $50.

Is the NC Homeowner Assistance Fund still taking applications?

No. The NC Pandemic Recovery Office says it stopped accepting new applications in November 2023, and the U.S. Treasury says HAF money can no longer be used to help homeowners. The NC Housing Finance Agency's current Avoid Foreclosure page offers free counseling through the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project instead.

What is the State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project?

It is a North Carolina program run by the NC Housing Finance Agency under N.C.G.S. § 45-104. Servicers pay a $75 fee when they file the 45-day notice information, and the fund pays nonprofit housing counselors and legal service providers to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Call 1-888-442-8188 to be connected with a counselor.

Who takes complaints about mortgage servicers in North Carolina?

The NC Office of the Commissioner of Banks regulates licensed mortgage lenders and servicers and has an online complaint form. Check its Who We Regulate list first, because some banks are overseen by federal regulators instead. Report rescue scams to the NC Department of Justice at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in North Carolina

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 North Carolina overview

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Sources for this page

  1. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.16A, Contents of notice of sale
  2. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.10, Requirement of cash deposit at sale
  3. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.22, Procedure upon dissolution of order restraining sale or upon debtor's bankruptcy
  4. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29A, No necessity for confirmation of sale
  5. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.33, Final report of sale of real property
  6. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.34, Enjoining mortgage sales on equitable grounds
  7. N.C.G.S. § 45-91, Assessment of fees; processing of payments
  8. N.C.G.S. § 42-36.2, Notice of execution of writ for possession; storage of property
  9. Legal Aid of North Carolina: Housing (helpline hours)
  10. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.16, Notice and hearing
  11. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.16C, Opportunity for parties to resolve foreclosure of owner-occupied residential property
  12. N.C.G.S. Chapter 45, Article 11, Emergency Program to Reduce Home Foreclosures Act (§§ 45-100 to 45-107)
  13. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.17, Posting and publishing notice of sale
  14. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.20, Satisfaction of debt before completion of sale
  15. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.21, Postponement of sale; notice of cancellation
  16. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.23, Time of sale
  17. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.27, Upset bid on real property
  18. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29, Orders for possession
  19. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.31, Disposition of proceeds of sale; payment of surplus to clerk
  20. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.32, Special proceeding to determine ownership of surplus
  21. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.36, Right of mortgagor to prove reasonable value in deficiency suits
  22. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.38, Deficiency judgments abolished where mortgage represents part of purchase price
  23. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.38A, Deficiency judgments abolished where mortgage secured by primary residence
  24. N.C.G.S. § 1-54, One-year statute of limitations (deficiency judgments)
  25. N.C.G.S. § 45-21.12A, Power of sale barred during periods of military service
  26. N.C.G.S. § 45-93, Borrower requests for information
  27. N.C.G.S. § 53-244.111, Prohibited acts (mortgage lending and servicing)
  28. N.C.G.S. § 14-423, Debt adjusting definitions (includes foreclosure assistance)
  29. N.C.G.S. § 75-121, Foreclosure rescue transactions prohibited
  30. North Carolina Judicial Branch: Foreclosures help topic
  31. NC Housing Finance Agency: Avoid Foreclosure (State Home Foreclosure Prevention Project)
  32. NC Housing Finance Agency: Homeowner Tips and Resources
  33. NC Housing Finance Agency: Avoid Scams and Fraud Prevention
  34. NC Pandemic Recovery Office: Housing (NC Homeowner Assistance Fund closed to new applications as of November 2023)
  35. U.S. Treasury: Homeowner Assistance Fund (period of performance ended)
  36. North Carolina Department of Justice: Foreclosure and Loan Modification
  37. Legal Aid of North Carolina: Foreclosures