In Vermont the court sets your deadline: six months to redeem, then a strict foreclosure or a sale.
A lender must sue. The decree gives you a redemption period, six months from the decree for a home you live in unless the court orders less. If the court finds no equity, the period ends in a strict foreclosure with no auction; otherwise a judicial sale follows, and you can redeem until the sale. Owner-occupants can ask for foreclosure mediation once they are sued; the lender pays the mediator, with up to half shiftable to you.
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.
Four dates decide a Vermont case. Twenty-one days after you are served, the deadline for a verified answer. The day of the decree, which starts the redemption period and says whether it is a strict foreclosure or a sale. The last day of that period, your deadline to pay under a strict foreclosure. And the judicial sale, which cannot come until at least 30 days after the notice mailed when the period ends, and until which you can still 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 Vermont gives you
Rights that exist because the property is in Vermont, 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 Vermont foreclosure attorney confirm anything that matters before you act.
Questions people ask about Vermont foreclosure
Short answers, each one sourced to the statute cited on this page.
How long does foreclosure take in Vermont?
With no delays or disputes, a Vermont foreclosure runs roughly 411 days from the first missed payment to the end of the redemption period the court sets in its decree, and a public sale follows about a month later. 12 V.S.A. 4941, 4946 and 4952.
How long is the Vermont redemption period?
Six months from the decree for a home you live in as your principal residence, unless the court orders a shorter time. Under a sale decree you can also redeem until the sale by paying the full judgment. 12 V.S.A. 4941 and 4949.
Does Vermont have foreclosure mediation?
Yes, in most cases. If you live in a home of one to four units as your principal residence, you can ask the court for mediation on the form served with the complaint, up to four months after judgment and before your redemption period ends. Mediation does not pause the redemption period. 12 V.S.A. 4631-4635, 4637.
Can Vermont take my home without a sale?
Yes. If the court finds the home has no substantial value above the debt, it can order a strict foreclosure, and title passes to the lender when the redemption period ends. 12 V.S.A. 4941.
How long do I have to redeem after a Vermont tax sale?
One year from the sale, by paying what the buyer paid plus 1 percent a month. A town can start a tax sale on a home only if you owe at least $1,500, have been delinquent more than a year, and have been offered a written repayment plan. 32 V.S.A. 5252 and 5260.
Last verified: October 18, 2026. Every deadline and citation on this page was checked against Vermont 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.