Pennsylvania foreclosure is judicial, so the lender must sue in the county court of common pleas. Before filing, most lenders must send a combined Act 91 and Act 6 notice, which gives you 33 days to meet with a housing counselor and possibly apply for HEMAP. You can generally cure the default until one hour before sheriff sale bidding.
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The letters in a Pennsylvania foreclosure are long and full of legal terms, and it is easy to feel lost. The good news is that the state gives you real deadlines you can use, and free help to meet them.
Yes. A lender must file a mortgage foreclosure complaint in the court of common pleas in your county, and win a judgment, before your home can go to sheriff sale. Our guide to judicial vs. non-judicial foreclosure explains the difference.
Federal rules usually stop a servicer from filing until you are more than 120 days behind (12 C.F.R. §1024.41). Pennsylvania adds its own required notices on top of that.
These are the two key Pennsylvania pre-foreclosure notices. Lenders usually send them together as one combined notice (35 P.S. §1680.403c).
The Act 91 notice tells you about the Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP). You have 30 days, plus 3 days for mailing, to have a face-to-face meeting with an approved counseling agency. The lender generally cannot start legal action during that time, or for 30 days after the meeting. According to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), the counseling agency must send your HEMAP application within 30 days of that meeting, and PHFA decides within 60 days.
The Act 6 notice of intention to foreclose must be sent at least 30 days before the lender files and gives you a chance to cure the default (41 P.S. §403). Under 41 P.S. §404, you can cure by paying the missed amounts, reasonable fees and costs, and allowed late charges at any time up to one hour before bidding starts at the sheriff sale, up to three times a year.
Do not ignore these letters. See our guide to a mortgage breach letter for more.
It depends on the county and whether you respond. The required notices alone add about two months before a filing, and contested cases, HEMAP reviews, and court conferences add more. Nationally, ATTOM reports the average foreclosure took 563 days to complete in Q2 2026.
ATTOM's midyear 2026 report shows Pennsylvania had about 1 in every 691 housing units with a filing, ranked 19th, and 1,893 completed foreclosures (bank repossessions), the fifth-most of any state.
Each county sheriff runs its own sales. Many are held in person, but Philadelphia's Sheriff's Office holds mortgage foreclosure sales online through Bid4Assets. Check your county sheriff's website for the date, and watch for postponements.
Pennsylvania does not give you a right to buy the home back after the sheriff sale. Your last chance is to cure before bidding starts.
If the sale price is less than the debt, the lender must file a petition to fix the home's fair market value within six months of the sale under the Deficiency Judgment Act (42 Pa.C.S. §8103, §5522). If it does not, it generally loses the right to collect the difference.
Under Pa.R.C.P. 3136, the sheriff must file a proposed schedule of distribution within 30 days of the sale. Anyone who disagrees has 10 days to file exceptions. If money is left after the lender and other lienholders are paid, make sure the schedule shows it going to you. See our surplus funds after an auction guide.
| Stage | Pennsylvania rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Judicial | Court of common pleas |
| Act 91 notice | 33 days to meet a counselor; HEMAP option | 35 P.S. §1680.403c |
| Act 6 notice | 30 days before filing | 41 P.S. §403 |
| Answer | Generally 20 days after service | Pa.R.C.P. 1026 |
| Sale notice | 30 days; ads 3 weeks | Pa.R.C.P. 3129.2 |
| Right to cure | Until 1 hour before bidding | 41 P.S. §404 |
| Redemption after sale | None | Nolo |
| Deficiency | Petition within 6 months; fair market value | 42 Pa.C.S. §8103 |
| Surplus | Schedule in 30 days; exceptions in 10 | Pa.R.C.P. 3136 |
Sources (checked 2026-09-26):
It varies by county and by whether you respond. The Act 91 and Act 6 notices add about two months before a filing, and court steps add more. Nationally, foreclosures averaged 563 days to complete in Q2 2026, according to ATTOM.
HEMAP is a Pennsylvania loan program that can help pay a delinquent mortgage when hardship was beyond your control. PHFA lists it as active in 2026. You must meet a counseling agency within 33 days of your Act 91 notice to apply.
You can generally cure the default up to one hour before bidding starts by paying past-due amounts, fees, and costs under 41 P.S. §404. A loss mitigation deal or a bankruptcy filing may also stop a sale. Talk to a local foreclosure attorney.
No. Pennsylvania does not give homeowners a right to redeem after the sale. That is why acting before the sale date matters so much.
No. PAHAF says it is no longer accepting new applications and will not approve mortgage assistance for months after June 2025. HEMAP and free HUD-approved counselors are still available.
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