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Free foreclosure help in Wisconsin

Free foreclosure help is available in Wisconsin, and who to call first depends on where you are in the court case. Wisconsin Help for Homeowners closed in 2024, so most help today is free counseling, legal aid, court self-help and complaint handling. Every organization below is a government office, a court library or a nonprofit, except the lawyer referral service, which connects you with private attorneys. None of them should charge you an upfront fee to save your home.

Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

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

Ask for help in Wisconsin

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.

Free, and there is nothing to buy. A person reads your message and replies by email, or by phone if you leave a number. We never ask for a fee and we do not sell your details. See the privacy policy.

Who to call first, by situation

  • You are not behind yet but expect to be

    As soon as you see trouble coming

    Call your servicer and ask about hardship options. If your loan is with WHEDA, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority: Homeowners page says to contact its servicing department immediately at 1-800-562-5546.

  • You are behind but have not been sued

    Before you are 120 days behind

    Send your servicer a complete loss mitigation application and work with a free HUD-approved housing counselor. Wisconsin Law Help: Foreclosure explains each step of the Wisconsin process in plain language.

  • You were served with a foreclosure summons and complaint

    Within days; the answer is due 20 days after personal service

    Apply to Legal Action of Wisconsin, which lists foreclosure among its services, online or at (855) 947-2529. The Wisconsin State Law Library: Foreclosure has county answer forms and guides if you file on your own.

    Wis. Stat. § 801.09(2)

  • A sheriff's sale date is set

    Today

    Call the sheriff's office and the lender's attorney to confirm the date, and ask your servicer for a written payoff. For legal advice, contact Legal Action of Wisconsin or a private lawyer through the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

    Wis. Stat. §§ 815.31, 846.13

  • Your servicer is not following the rules

    Before judgment or sale if possible

    File a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions: File a Complaint if your servicer or lender is state licensed. Raise the problem in your court case too, with help from legal aid.

  • A foreclosure rescue company contacted you

    Before you sign or pay anything

    Wisconsin law bars a foreclosure consultant from collecting any payment before fully performing every promised service, and you can cancel a contract until midnight of the third business day. Report scams through Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: File a Consumer Complaint or to the Wisconsin Department of Justice: Consumer Protection.

    Wis. Stat. §§ 846.40, 846.45

Official and nonprofit help in Wisconsin

None of these charge homeowners for foreclosure help.

Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH)

The Wisconsin Department of Administration's page states that the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners program closed on March 8, 2024. We did not find another statewide mortgage payment program that is open.

Check the program’s current status

Common questions in Wisconsin

Is Wisconsin Help for Homeowners still taking applications?

No. The Wisconsin Department of Administration: Wisconsin Help for Homeowners page says the program closed in March 2024, and we found no other open statewide mortgage payment program. The U.S. Treasury also says HAF money can no longer be used to help homeowners after September 30, 2026.

Where can I get a free foreclosure lawyer in Wisconsin?

Start with Legal Action of Wisconsin, which offers free civil legal aid to low-income residents and lists foreclosure among its services. Apply online or at (855) 947-2529; applying does not guarantee help. If you do not qualify, the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral and Information Service can refer you to a private lawyer.

Can a Wisconsin foreclosure consultant charge me upfront?

No. Under Wis. Stat. § 846.40 a foreclosure consultant cannot charge or collect any payment until it has fully performed every service it promised, cannot take a lien or wage assignment for its fee, and must give you a written contract you can cancel until midnight of the third business day. A separate law covers deals where someone takes your title and promises you can stay (Wis. Stat. § 846.45).

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin overview

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Sources for this page

  1. Wis. Stat. § 846.05, Foreclosure for nonpayment of installment
  2. Wis. Stat. § 846.10, Judgment; sale timing
  3. Wis. Stat. § 846.101, Foreclosure with deficiency waiver
  4. Wis. Stat. § 846.102, Abandoned premises
  5. Wis. Stat. § 846.13, Redemption from and satisfaction of judgment (with annotations)
  6. Wis. Stat. § 846.16, Notice of sale; sale; confirmation; transfer
  7. Wis. Stat. § 846.162, Disposition of surplus
  8. Wis. Stat. § 846.165, Notice of confirmation hearing
  9. Wis. Stat. § 815.31, Notice of execution sale of real property
  10. Wis. Stat. § 801.09, Summons; time to answer
  11. Dane County Clerk of Courts: Foreclosure (mediation program ended)
  12. WHEDA: Homeowners (servicing contact)
  13. Legal Action of Wisconsin (services and intake)
  14. Wisconsin Court System: Case search (Wisconsin Circuit Court Access)
  15. Wis. Stat. Chapter 846: Real Estate Foreclosure
  16. Wis. Stat. Chapter 846 (PDF, updated through 2025 Wis. Act 247, published October 1, 2026)
  17. Wisconsin Law Help: Foreclosure Procedure
  18. Wisconsin State Law Library: Foreclosure
  19. Wisconsin Department of Administration: Wisconsin Help for Homeowners