Rhode Island can sell your home about 50 days after the notice, at the earliest.
A power of sale with no lawsuit: the lender must send a notice of sale by first class mail and overnight delivery at least 30 days before the first newspaper ad, and the sale can be held 21 days after that ad. If you live in a one to four unit home as your primary residence, the lender must first offer a free mediation conference. We found no statutory right to buy the home back after the sale.
Not sure what date to put in? Tell us which paper you were sent and we will work the timeline out backwards from it.
Each is a different statute.
When you first fell behind.
Local pace is the variable.
Past steps fade out.
FHA and VA add steps.
A tenant gets 90 days under federal law.
Three dates decide a Rhode Island case. The mediation notice, which must come before the foreclosure starts. The notice of sale, sent at least 30 days before the first newspaper ad. And the auction, held at least 21 days after that ad, after which we found no statutory right to redeem.
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Make the call.
Call your mortgage servicer (the number is on your statement) before the next payment is due, or today if you are already behind. Servicers have programs for people who lose a job, get sick or hit a rough patch, but they only start when you ask. A foreclosure costs them money too.
“I’ve had a hardship and I want to keep my home. Please send me a loss mitigation application and tell me every option for my loan.” If your loan is FHA, VA or USDA, ask about that program’s options by name.
Your latest mortgage statement, recent pay stubs or unemployment letter, two months of bank statements, last year’s tax return, and a short hardship letter. Expect a lot of paperwork. Send all of it, because a complete application is what protects you.
Date, time, who you spoke to and what they said. Keep copies and proof of when you sent your papers. A complete application more than 37 days before a sale stops that sale while they decide.
Don’t want to call alone? A free HUD-approved counselor will help: 1-800-569-4287. And if the home is ever sold at auction, ask about surplus funds: money left over after the debt is paid can belong to you, but you usually have to claim it.
What Rhode Island gives you
Rights that exist because the property is in Rhode Island, whatever a servicer tells you on the phone.
Where to get real help, free
Regional legal aid programs take foreclosure cases at no cost if you qualify by income. Start at LawHelp.org, which lists free legal aid programs state by state.
HUD-approved housing counselors are free in every state — 1-800-569-4287. Some states, courts and counties run foreclosure mediation or counseling programs; ask your servicer or a HUD-approved counselor whether yours does.
Anyone who contacts you first, guarantees they can stop the sale for a fee paid up front, or asks you to sign the deed over is running a scam. Never sign a deed to someone promising to save your home.
Checked against the statutes cited beside each step. Every legal claim on this page is registered with its citation and was checked against official sources and then reviewed again by an independent checker. Dates marked as estimates are estimates. Appellate case law was not independently verified, and laws change, so have a Rhode Island foreclosure attorney confirm anything that matters before you act.
Questions people ask about Rhode Island foreclosure
Short answers, each one sourced to the statute cited on this page.
How long does foreclosure take in Rhode Island?
With no delays or disputes, a Rhode Island foreclosure auction runs roughly 172 days from the first missed payment. The notice must be sent at least 30 days before the first newspaper notice, the first ad must run at least 21 days before the sale, and it runs three weeks. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-27-4.
What is the Rhode Island foreclosure mediation program?
For an owner-occupied one to four unit home with a first mortgage, the lender must mail a mediation notice before it starts the foreclosure, and the conference is to be held within 60 days of the mailing. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-27-9.
Is there redemption after a Rhode Island foreclosure sale?
We found no statutory right to reinstate or redeem after a power of sale auction, and the foreclosure deed is a perpetual bar. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-11-22.
How much of a condo lien comes before my mortgage in Rhode Island?
Six months of assessments, plus limited fees and costs, can have priority over a first mortgage. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-36.1-3.16.
What is the Rhode Island homestead exemption?
It is $500,000 and applies automatically, but it does not defeat a mortgage the owner signed. R.I. Gen. Laws 9-26-4.1.
Last verified: October 18, 2026. Every deadline and citation on this page was checked against Rhode Island law and the federal rules it cites. Laws change during the year, so if something here looks out of date or wrong, tell us and we will check it against the law.