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Free foreclosure help in Pennsylvania

Free help is available across Pennsylvania through HEMAP counseling agencies, PHFA-approved housing counselors and legal aid. Pick the situation below that matches yours and call that organization first. You never have to pay a company to apply for HEMAP, attend a conciliation conference or claim surplus money. If a court deadline is running, call the same day.

Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

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

Ask for help in Pennsylvania

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.

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Who to call first, by situation

  • You are not behind yet but expect trouble

    Before you miss a payment

    Call your servicer at the number on your statement and ask what hardship options exist. Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency: Housing Counseling lists PHFA-approved counseling agencies that can review your budget for free.

  • You are behind or got an Act 91 notice

    Within 33 days of the date on the Act 91 notice

    Call a counseling agency listed on your notice, or Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency: HEMAP at 1.800.342.2397, to set up the face to face meeting that puts foreclosure on hold. The Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund is closed to new applications, and federal HAF money ended on 30 September 2026, so do not wait for it.

    35 P.S. § 1680.403c

  • You were served with a foreclosure complaint

    Immediately; 20 days to respond

    Use Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network: Legal Aid Providers to find the free legal aid office for your county. Pennsylvania Courts: Representing Yourself explains how to handle a case without a lawyer. In Philadelphia, call the Save Your Home Philly Hotline at 215-334-HOME, listed by Philadelphia Courts: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program.

    Pa.R.C.P. 1026

  • A sheriff's sale date has been set

    The same day you learn of it

    Call legal aid through Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network: Legal Aid Providers about a petition to postpone the sale or your right to cure. Ask the lender's attorney for the cure amount in writing. If you need a private lawyer, Pennsylvania Bar Association: Find a Lawyer has referral information.

    41 P.S. § 404

  • Your servicer is not following the rules

    As soon as the problem happens

    Write down dates, names and what was said, and send your servicer a written complaint. You can file a complaint with Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities: File a Complaint, which regulates lenders and servicers, or with Pennsylvania Attorney General: Consumer Complaint.

  • A rescue company contacted you

    Before you sign or pay anything

    We found no Pennsylvania law written just for foreclosure consultants, so be very careful. HEMAP counseling agencies do not charge for the application meeting. Never pay an upfront fee or sign over your deed, and report the company to Pennsylvania Attorney General: Consumer Complaint.

Official and nonprofit help in Pennsylvania

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

Need a private foreclosure lawyer?

License-checked lawyers who represent homeowners, by area:

Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP)

HEMAP is a state loan program run by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for homeowners who are behind through no fault of their own. It is a loan, not a grant, capped at $60,000 or 24 to 36 months of help. You apply through a counseling agency after you get an Act 91 notice. FHA Title II mortgages are not eligible. The separate federal-funded Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund (PAHAF) is no longer accepting new applications.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Pennsylvania

Where can I get a free foreclosure lawyer in Pennsylvania?

Start with the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network's list of legal aid providers, which shows the free civil legal aid program for your county. Free help depends on income and the program's priorities. In Philadelphia, the diversion program has housing counselors and legal aid lawyers at the conciliation conferences.

Is the Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund still open?

No. The PAHAF site says the program is not accepting new applications, and the U.S. Treasury says federal HAF money could not be used after 30 September 2026. HEMAP is a separate state loan program run by PHFA and is still described as operating on its page.

Can I appeal if HEMAP turns me down?

Yes. PHFA says you can ask for an administrative appeal in writing, and the request must be postmarked within 15 days of the denial letter. Your counseling agency or legal aid can help you write it.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania overview

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Sources for this page

  1. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3129.3, Postponement of sale
  2. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1026, Time for filing responsive pleading
  3. Philadelphia Legal Assistance: Emergency Measures for Mortgage Foreclosure
  4. Philadelphia Sheriff's Office
  5. Philadelphia Courts: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program materials
  6. Philadelphia Courts: Ejectment complaint packet and Notice to Defend
  7. Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network: Local Mortgage Foreclosure Programs in Pennsylvania
  8. PALawHelp: Preventing Mortgage Foreclosure
  9. Act 6 of 1974 (Loan Interest and Protection Law), Article IV, sections 403 to 406
  10. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8103, Deficiency judgments
  11. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3129.2, Notice of sale
  12. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3132, Setting aside sale
  13. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3135, Sheriff's deed
  14. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3136, Distribution of proceeds
  15. PHFA: HEMAP, Act 91
  16. Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund
  17. Philadelphia Courts: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program
  18. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1141, Mortgage foreclosure; conformity to civil action