Washington foreclosure help
How to avoid foreclosure in Washington
Most Washington home loans use a deed of trust, and foreclosure happens without a court case under the Deed of Trust Act. A trustee sends the required notices, records a notice of trustee's sale and sells the home at a public auction. A lender can choose to foreclose in court instead, which is less common and has different rules on redemption and deficiency.
Reviewed against Washington law and official sources on October 11, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
- Washington at a glance
- Type of foreclosure
- Nonjudicial (no court case)
- Catch up to stop the sale
- Yes
- Buy back after the sale
- Limited
- Owe money after the sale
- Limited
- Foreclosure mediation
- Available
How foreclosure works in Washington, step by step
How long it takes: At a minimum, about eight months from your first missed payment: federal rules generally block the first foreclosure filing for 120 days, and for most homes the notice of trustee's sale must be recorded at least 120 days before the sale. State law also bars any sale sooner than 190 days after the default. This is the legal minimum, not a prediction, and mediation can add time.
Missed payments
Federal rules generally stop your servicer from starting foreclosure until you are more than 120 days behind. Call the state foreclosure hotline or a housing counselor right away. Some protections depend on acting early.
12 C.F.R. § 1024.41(f)
Pre-foreclosure letter
Before a notice of default, the lender must contact you by letter and by phone. You must respond within 30 days of the letter. If you respond, you get 60 more days to meet with the lender before a notice of default can be issued. If you do not respond, the notice of default can come after 30 days.
RCW 61.24.031
Notice of default
The notice of default must be mailed and posted on the property, or personally served, at least 30 days before a notice of sale can be recorded. After you get it, a housing counselor or attorney can refer you to state foreclosure mediation.
RCW 61.24.030(8); RCW 61.24.163
Notice of trustee's sale
The trustee records and sends a notice of trustee's sale at least 120 days before the sale when the pre-foreclosure letter was required, or 90 days in other cases. The last day for a mediation referral is 90 days before the sale date in that notice.
RCW 61.24.040(1); RCW 61.24.163(2)
Last chance to cure
You can stop the sale by paying the past-due amounts and allowed costs at any time before the 11th day before the sale date.
RCW 61.24.090(1)
Trustee's sale
The home is sold at public auction. The sale cannot take place less than 190 days from the date of default. After a trustee's sale no one has a right to redeem the property.
RCW 61.24.040; RCW 61.24.050
After the sale
The buyer is entitled to possession on the 20th day after the sale and can use the court's summary eviction process if you have not moved. Any surplus is deposited with the superior court clerk.
RCW 61.24.060; RCW 61.24.080
Washington foreclosure deadlines to know
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Time to respond to the pre-foreclosure letterRCW 61.24.031(1) | 30 days from the date of the letter |
| Notice of default before notice of saleRCW 61.24.030(8) | At least 30 days |
| Notice of trustee's sale before the saleRCW 61.24.040(1) | At least 120 days when the pre-foreclosure letter is required (90 days otherwise) |
| Last day for a mediation referralRCW 61.24.163(2) | 90 days before the sale date in the notice of trustee's sale |
| Last day to cure and stop the saleRCW 61.24.090(1) | Before the 11th day before the sale |
| Buyer's right to possessionRCW 61.24.060(1) | 20th day after the sale |
These are the periods written into the law. Your own dates are on the notices you received. If a notice and this page disagree, trust the notice and ask a counselor or lawyer.
Your rights as a homeowner in Washington
Can I stop a foreclosure in Washington by catching up on what I owe?
Right to reinstateYou have a right to cure the default and stop the trustee's sale at any time before the 11th day before the sale date, including a postponed sale date. You pay the amounts then past due and the allowed costs and fees, not the whole loan.
RCW 61.24.090
Can I get my home back after a foreclosure sale in Washington?
Limited redemptionAfter a trustee's sale, the nonjudicial kind that most homeowners face, there is no right to redeem. If the lender forecloses through a court case instead, you can redeem within one year after the sale, or within eight months if the lender waived any deficiency in its complaint and the mortgage states the property is not farm land.
RCW 61.24.050(1); RCW 6.23.020
Can the lender come after me for the remaining balance in Washington?
LimitedAfter a trustee's sale under a home loan deed of trust, the lender cannot get a deficiency judgment against you. The exceptions in the statute are for commercial loans. If the lender chooses a court foreclosure instead, a deficiency is possible unless it is waived.
RCW 61.24.100(1)
Is there foreclosure mediation in Washington?
Program availableWashington's Foreclosure Fairness Program offers mediation with a neutral mediator. You cannot refer yourself. A housing counselor or attorney must make the referral to the Department of Commerce after you get a notice of default and no later than 90 days before the sale date in the notice of trustee's sale. Counseling is free. The mediator's fee, capped at $400 for a session of one to three hours unless changed, is split equally between you and the lender. Some lenders are exempt. Call 1-877-894-4663 to reach a free housing counselor.
Other Washington protections
Meet-and-confer letter before any notice of default
The lender must send a letter and try to reach you by phone before it can issue a notice of default. If you respond within 30 days, you get a total of 90 days from first contact and a right to ask for a meeting with the lender.
RCW 61.24.031
State mediation program
After a notice of default, a housing counselor or attorney can refer you to mediation, where both sides must take part in good faith.
RCW 61.24.163
No deficiency after a trustee's sale
For a home loan, the lender cannot sue you for the shortfall after a nonjudicial trustee's sale.
RCW 61.24.100(1)
Minimum 190 days from default to sale
A trustee's sale cannot be held less than 190 days after the default.
RCW 61.24.040
Right to cure until 11 days before the sale
You can reinstate the loan and stop the sale by paying the arrears and costs before the 11th day before the sale.
RCW 61.24.090
Washington mortgage assistance programs
Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF)
Closed to new applicationsThe Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund website says the HAF program has ended. It directs homeowners to the state foreclosure prevention hotline at 877-894-4663, which connects you with free housing counseling. The Department of Revenue also lists property tax exemption and deferral programs for some homeowners.
If the home is sold for more than you owe
After paying sale costs and the foreclosed loan, the trustee must deposit any surplus, less the clerk's filing fee, with the clerk of the superior court in the county where the sale took place, and mail notice of the surplus to everyone who was sent the notice of sale. Liens wiped out by the sale attach to the surplus in their order of priority. To get the money, you file a motion for disbursement in that superior court and give notice to the other parties.
RCW 61.24.080(3)
Ways to avoid foreclosure
Most of your options come from federal rules and from whoever owns or insures your loan, so they work the same way in Washington as anywhere else. What changes by state is how much time you have to use them.
Step by step
Washington foreclosure guides, step by step
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.
Free, official, nationwide
Free help anywhere in the country
HUD-approved housing counselors
Free foreclosure prevention counseling from agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A counselor can review your budget and deal with your servicer alongside you.
(800) 569-4287CFPB: help for struggling homeowners
Plain-language guides from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and a complaint form if your mortgage servicer is not following the rules.
Legal Services Corporation: find legal aid
Find the free civil legal aid office for your county if you have been served with a foreclosure lawsuit or given a sale date and cannot afford a lawyer.
Ask a question
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If a sale is days away, do not wait for an email. Call a free HUD-approved housing counselor now at (800) 569-4287.
Sources for this page
Last reviewed October 11, 2026. Laws and programs change. If you find something out of date, tell us.
- Chapter 61.24 RCW: Deeds of Trust
- RCW 61.24.031 (notice of default; beneficiary's duties; borrower's options)
- RCW 61.24.040 (foreclosure and sale; notice of sale)
- RCW 61.24.090 (curing defaults before sale)
- RCW 61.24.100 (deficiency judgments)
- RCW 61.24.163 (foreclosure mediation program)
- RCW 61.24.080 (disposition of proceeds of sale; surplus funds)
- RCW 6.23.020 (time for redemption from purchaser)
- Chapter 61.34 RCW: Distressed Property Conveyances
- Washington Department of Commerce: Foreclosure Fairness Program
- Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund