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Vermont · What this letter means

Vermont foreclosure letters and notices

The papers Vermont homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the Vermont document, explains the deadline it starts under Vermont law, and lists what to do this week.

  1. Step 1

    Foreclosure Summons and Complaint, with the Important Notice to Homeowner and Verified Answer form

    A Vermont lender must sue in the Civil Division of the Superior Court to foreclose on a home you own. The papers include a notice to homeowners, a mediation request form and a blank Verified Answer form. Vermont legal aid says your written, signed answer is due within 21 calendar days of receiving the complaint.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Notice of Mediation Rights and Request for Mediation form

    If you live in your Vermont home and it has 4 or fewer units, the lender must serve you a notice of your mediation rights with a form to ask the court for mediation. When you ask in time, the court must send the case to a neutral mediator who is a Vermont lawyer. The lender has to review you for options like reinstatement, modification, forbearance and short sale, and explain any denial.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Final Judgment Order and Decree of Foreclosure

    The Final Judgment Order and Decree of Foreclosure says the lender won and states the total you owe and the date your redemption period ends. For a home you live in, that is usually 6 months from the decree unless the court orders less. You can stay in the home and keep it by paying the judgment amount before redemption ends, or before any public sale.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Notice of Sale

    In a Vermont judicial sale foreclosure, the notice of sale gives the date, time and place of the auction of your home. It is mailed after your redemption date has passed and at least 30 days before the sale, and it runs in a local newspaper for 3 weeks. The notice itself says you can still redeem before the sale by paying the full amount due plus sale costs.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Report of Sale and Request for Confirmation

    After the auction, the lender files a sworn report of the sale with an accounting of the money and asks the court to confirm the sale. It must mail you a copy. Title passes to the buyer when the confirmation order is recorded, any surplus is paid out under that order, and the lender must ask for any deficiency before the order issues.

    What it means
  6. Step 6

    Writ of Possession

    Once your redemption period ends, the lender can ask the court for a writ of possession. For a home you live in, the clerk issues it only with the court's approval. A sheriff serves it on you and cannot put the new owner in possession until at least 14 days later.

    What it means

Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in Vermont.