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Foreclosure mediation in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no statewide foreclosure mediation law, but several county courts run residential mortgage foreclosure diversion programs with conciliation conferences. Philadelphia's program, started in 2008, still holds conferences every Thursday in City Hall and requires one before an owner-occupied home can go to sheriff's sale. Lancaster and Monroe counties run similar programs; ask the prothonotary in your county if yours does.

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

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

How foreclosure mediation works in Pennsylvania, step by step

  1. Who qualifies in Philadelphia

    When the foreclosure complaint is filed

    The program covers owner-occupied homes in Philadelphia with four or fewer units, including condos and co-ops, that are the owner's principal residence. Lancaster County's program has similar rules plus a limit of a mortgage balance under $400,000.

    Phila. Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01, § 1

  2. How it starts

    Automatically, or by your certification

    When the lender marks the case as owner-occupied, the court issues a Case Management Order scheduling a conciliation conference, and the lender cannot enter judgment until the conferences end. If your case was not marked that way, you can file a Certification of Participation and ask for a conference.

    Phila. Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01, §§ 3, 4

  3. Call the hotline and see a counselor

    As soon as you get the order

    In Philadelphia, call the Save Your Home Philly Hotline at 215-334-HOME (215-334-4663). The city's housing department connects you with a free housing counselor who helps you gather income and job papers and prepare a workout proposal. In Lancaster, call the Program Coordinator at 717-209-3290 within ten days.

    Phila. Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01, § 4(c), (d)

  4. Who attends the conference

    The scheduled Thursday session, 9 AM or 1 PM

    You meet face to face with the lender's attorney, and the servicer may join by phone. Lawyers from Community Legal Services, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, SeniorLAW Center and Philadelphia VIP are on site. If talks stall, either side can ask for a judge pro tem, an experienced attorney who makes recommendations to the supervising judge.

  5. What can come out of it

    At or after the conference

    The court can order more conferences, approve a workout plan, or decide the case may go to sheriff's sale because there is no prospect of agreement. An order is issued at the end of each conference recording the result.

    Phila. Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01, §§ 6(b), 7

  6. If you miss it, or the lender does not cooperate

    At the conference date

    If you do not appear, the court can treat the requirement as met and let the lender go ahead. In Lancaster, a lender that does not follow program rules or skips the conference will be sanctioned and may have the case dismissed.

    Phila. Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01, § 6(c)

The program in Pennsylvania

Foreclosure mediation

Program available

There is no statewide program, but some county courts run their own. Philadelphia's Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program holds conciliation conferences for owner-occupied homes, with free housing counselors and legal aid lawyers on site, before a case can move to a sheriff's sale. Ask the prothonotary or court administrator in your county whether a conciliation or diversion program exists.

Official program page

Common questions in Pennsylvania

Does the Philadelphia diversion program cost anything?

The court's notice says the housing counselor's help is free, and the city's housing department provides the counselor at no charge. Legal aid lawyers are also on site at the conferences. We did not find a court fee for taking part.

Can I join the Philadelphia diversion program if my lender did not list my home as owner-occupied?

Yes. The court says a homeowner whose case should have been marked owner-occupied can file a certification and ask for a conference to be scheduled. The Certification of Participation form is linked on the court's program page.

Does a Pennsylvania conciliation conference stop the lawsuit?

In Philadelphia, the lender can send the 10-day default notice but cannot ask for a default judgment until after the conference date. In Monroe County, filing the Certificate of Participation leads to a court order staying the case. Keep going to every meeting, because missing one can let the case move ahead.

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.

Also in Pennsylvania

Foreclosure mediation (this page)Property tax foreclosure Claim surplus funds Deficiency judgments Letters you may get

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Sources for this page

  1. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8127, Personal earnings exempt from process
  2. Philadelphia Joint General Court Regulation No. 2008-01
  3. Save Your Home Philly Hotline notice
  4. Lancaster County Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program
  5. Monroe County Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program urgent notice
  6. Act 6 of 1974 (Loan Interest and Protection Law), Article IV, sections 403 to 406
  7. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8103, Deficiency judgments
  8. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3129.2, Notice of sale
  9. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3132, Setting aside sale
  10. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3135, Sheriff's deed
  11. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3136, Distribution of proceeds
  12. PHFA: HEMAP, Act 91
  13. Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund
  14. Philadelphia Courts: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program
  15. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1026, Time for filing; notice to plead
  16. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1141, Mortgage foreclosure; conformity to civil action