- Who sends it
- The trustee or substitute trustee, by regular mail, only for postponements of more than 30 days
- What it starts
- A new sale date, which must be at least 10 calendar days after the notice is mailed
- Do this first
- Check the posting company website named on your original notice and confirm the new date with the trustee
What this notice is in Tennessee
Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-5-101(e), unless your loan papers forbid it, a trustee's sale may be adjourned and rescheduled one or more times without new newspaper publication. The sale must be held within one year of the date first scheduled. After that, it must be advertised again from the start.
Each postponement must be set to a specific date and time. It must be posted with the third-party internet posting company and announced at the date, time and place of each scheduled sale.
How the days count
- Less than 5 days: if the sale is moved to a date less than 5 days after the original sale, no online posting is required. It may be announced only at the sale.
- More than 30 days: notice of the new date, time and location must be mailed to you and any co-debtor by regular mail at least 10 calendar days before the new sale date (§ 35-5-101(e)(3)).
- Between 5 and 30 days: the new date must be posted online and announced at the sale, but no mailed notice is required.
- One year: the sale must take place within one year of the originally scheduled date.
What it does and does not mean
- A postponement is not a cancellation. The foreclosure is still active.
- A postponement can give you time to finish a loan modification review, sell the home or reinstate. Get any agreement with your servicer in writing.
- Because short delays may not be mailed, you can miss a new date if you wait for a letter.
What to do this week
- Look up your sale on the posting company website named on your Notice of Trustee's Sale, and check it again the day before each date.
- Call the trustee and ask for the new date, time and place in writing.
- Use the time: send any missing documents to your servicer and ask for an updated reinstatement figure.
- Call a THDA counselor at 1-888-HUD-THDA (483-8432) or find legal aid through Help4TN.
- Read how long a Tennessee foreclosure takes.
The rest of the Tennessee process
See how foreclosure works in Tennessee, the timeline, ways to stop it and free help in Tennessee, or read the national guide to this letter.
Common questions
Will I get a letter every time my Tennessee sale is postponed?
No. You get a mailed notice only when the sale is put off more than 30 days, and it must be mailed at least 10 calendar days before the new date. Other postponements are announced at the sale and, unless under 5 days, posted online.
How long can a Tennessee trustee keep postponing a sale?
Up to one year from the original sale date, as many times as needed, unless your loan papers forbid it (Tenn. Code Ann. § 35-5-101(e)). After a year, the sale must be advertised again.
Does a postponement mean my Tennessee foreclosure is over?
No. It only moves the date. Keep working with your servicer and the trustee, and confirm each new date.
Other Tennessee letters
- Default and acceleration letter (notice of default and right to cure)Tennessee has no state-required notice before a foreclosure is advertised, so the warning letter you get comes from your deed of trust. Many Tennessee deeds of trust require a letter naming the default, the amount to cure and a cure date at least 30 days away. Once that date passes, the lender can call the loan due and order a trustee's sale.
- Notice of Trustee's Sale (often titled Notice of Substitute Trustee's Sale)This notice sets the date, time and place of the auction of your home. Since July 1, 2025, Tennessee requires the sale to be advertised at least twice in a county newspaper, the first at least 20 days before the sale, and posted online for at least 20 days in a row. The trustee must mail you a copy by certified or registered mail by the first newspaper date.
- Trustee's Deed (Substitute Trustee's Deed)After the auction, the trustee gives the buyer a trustee's deed. For most Tennessee homeowners the sale is final, because the deed of trust waived the 2-year right to redeem. The deed is not an eviction order; the buyer still has to win a detainer case to remove you.
- Detainer warrantIf you stay after a Tennessee trustee's sale, the buyer must bring an unlawful detainer case to get possession, usually in General Sessions Court. The detainer warrant tells you the court date. The hearing can come within days, and if you miss it, the court can enter a default judgment and issue a writ of possession.
- Deficiency lawsuit (summons and complaint for a deficiency judgment)A Tennessee lender can sue for the balance left after a trustee's sale, but it must sue within 2 years after the sale. The law presumes the sale price was fair market value. If you prove the home sold for materially less, the court uses fair market value instead.