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Foreclosure Clarity · Connecticut foreclosure questions

I was just served

I was served foreclosure papers. What now?

In Connecticut, a foreclosure is a court case. It starts when a state marshal or other officer delivers a summons and a complaint. The summons shows the court clerk's address, the plaintiff, and a Return Date. The Return Date is not a hearing date. An Appearance, a mediation request, an answer, and a motion are four different steps. Use the court named on your papers, not a court you guess from your town.

Read your papersFind free or public help

Start with the papers in front of you

Not sure what the people and offices on the papers do? Open the short guide.

These words show up on letters, court papers, and phone calls. They are not always the same company or person, so check each document.

Servicer. The company that collects your mortgage payments and handles your loan day to day. The phone number on your monthly statement is the servicer's number. This is who you talk to about payment help.

Lender or bank. The company that made your loan, or the company that owns it now. The owner of the loan can be a different company from your servicer. The owner affects which help options exist, and the servicer works within that.

Plaintiff. In a foreclosure court case, the plaintiff is the party that started the case. The summons names the plaintiff and its attorney. The name can be different from the name on your statement.

State marshal. An officer who delivers court papers such as a summons and complaint. Papers can be handed to you or left at your home. Whether papers were delivered properly is a legal question for individual review.

Court clerk. The staff of the court where the case is pending. The clerk's office keeps the court file and takes filings. The summons shows the clerk's address. The Judicial Branch says court staff give information about court procedure, not legal advice.

Court Service Center. A help desk in many courthouses for people handling a case without an attorney. Staff can help with court forms, e-filing, and calendar and docket information. The Judicial Branch says staff give information, not legal advice. Hours and locations vary, so check before you go.

HUD-approved housing counselor. A counselor at a nonprofit agency approved by HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A counselor can explain options and help you talk with your servicer. A counselor cannot promise you will keep your home. HUD is a federal agency. The counselors work at separate agencies. CFPB notes that if you have been served with legal papers, you might also need to talk with an attorney.

Get your papers out and read along.

In Connecticut, a mortgage foreclosure is a court case. It starts when a state marshal or other officer delivers court papers called a summons and a complaint. Here is what to look for. This helps you find your way around the papers. It does not tell you what your papers mean for you.

  • Court clerk's address. The summons lists the address of the court clerk. This is the court the case is returnable to. Use the court named on your papers. Do not guess the court from your town. Court locations change, and some towns can be assigned to more than one court.
  • Return Date. A date printed on the summons. It is always a Tuesday. It is not a hearing date. The next sections explain what it is used for.
  • Plaintiff and plaintiff's attorney. The party that started the case, and its law firm.
  • Case type. The summons has a case type code. P 00 means foreclosure.
  • Docket number. Once the court enters the case, it gets a docket number. It appears in a box marked "For Court Use Only." You can use the docket number to look up the case.
  • Complaint. The document that comes with the summons and sets out the plaintiff's claims.
  • Court notices and forms attached to the front. A foreclosure on a home should come with a cover notice titled "You Are Being Sued and You Are in Danger of Losing Your Property," a foreclosure mediation notice, a Foreclosure Mediation Certificate form, and a blank Appearance form.

Keep everything you were given, including the envelope. If you are not sure whether what you have is a court paper or a letter, see "A letter is not the same as a court case."

A letter is not a court case. If you have only letters, go to “I'm behind on my mortgage. What should I do?”

The Return Date is not a hearing date

One date on the summons causes a lot of confusion. It is the Return Date.

Several different things can happen in a foreclosure case, and each has its own timing rule. The rules are separate. A number from one rule does not belong to another. Foreclosure Clarity names the filing each time it mentions a time period, and Foreclosure Clarity does not work out dates for your case.

Return Date. The Return Date is printed on the summons. It is not a hearing date. You generally do not have to go to court on it unless you get a separate notice telling you to. The court uses it to keep track of other timing, and some filing periods are counted from it. Not going to court on the Return Date does not mean nothing needs attention.

These are different steps

Four steps are easy to mix up. Each one is separate, and each has its own timing rule.

Appearance (form JD-CL-12)

An Appearance tells the court who is in the case and where to send notices. The court rule says an Appearance should be filed on or before the second day after the Return Date. The summons says "generally." Later Appearances are accepted. If a default for not appearing has been entered, filing an Appearance before a judgment is entered after the default sets the default aside automatically. An Appearance filed after a judgment on the default does not change that judgment.

How the Appearance form works

Foreclosure Mediation Certificate (form JD-CV-108)

This is a separate step from the Appearance, with its own time limit counted from the Return Date. The foreclosure mediation section explains it. It is not an answer.

How the Foreclosure Mediation Certificate form works

Answer or defenses

An answer responds to the complaint and can raise defenses. There is no pre-printed form. Court rules set a separate period for pleadings. It is a different clock from the Appearance and from the mediation request. Foreclosure Clarity does not give a day count for it. Which period applies, and any exceptions, depend on the case.

Motion

A motion asks the court to do something. Different motions have different rules. Some can be put on hold during foreclosure mediation. See the mediation section.

Other timing rules

Plaintiff's motion for judgment. Court rules say the plaintiff cannot file a motion for judgment before 30 days after the Return Date. That is a limit on the plaintiff. It is not a deadline for you.

Appeal. After a judgment, court rules give 20 days from notice of the judgment to file an appeal, unless a statute sets a different time. In many cases, enforcement is paused automatically during the appeal period, with limits.

Asking the court to open a judgment. Different rules cover different kinds of judgments. Some use four-month periods that are counted in different ways. Which rule applies to a case is a question for individual review. Late-stage limits are explained on the law day and sale page.

Law day and sale date. These are dates written in a judgment. They are not filing periods. See the four-term glossary.

Federal servicing rules. Rules for mortgage servicers use their own day counts. Those are counted from a missed payment, not from the Return Date. The missed-payment page explains them.

EMAP. The notice and review periods in the Connecticut EMAP program are separate again. See the EMAP summary.

If you are not sure which period applies to you:

  • The court clerk can give information about procedure.
  • An attorney can give advice about your situation.

Foreclosure mediation in Connecticut

Mediation is a court program. It is requested separately. It is not an answer to the complaint.

Connecticut has a foreclosure mediation program run by the Judicial Branch. Its formal name is the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program. A mediator helps the homeowner and the lender talk and try to reach an agreement. Topics can include catching up on payments, repayment plans, a loan modification, a short sale, a deed in lieu of foreclosure, and the dates in a judgment.

Who it is for

The program has eligibility rules. It is meant for an owner-occupant of a one-to-four family home in Connecticut that is their primary residence, who is the borrower or a permitted successor in interest. Certain religious organizations are also covered. Tax-lien and condominium-lien foreclosures are not eligible. A judge can refer a case in some situations. It is not automatic for everyone. Whether it applies to a particular case is a question for individual review, especially if you are named on the papers but are not the borrower.

Asking for mediation is a separate step

To ask for mediation, an eligible homeowner files two things: an Appearance and a Foreclosure Mediation Certificate. Filing an Appearance alone does not ask for mediation. The statute says both are to be filed not later than 15 days from the Return Date. If the court has not received them by then, the statute says the court shall not assign the case to mediation. A later request needs the court's permission. Mediation is also not an answer to the complaint.

What mediation does and does not do

  • You do not have to take part. If an eligible homeowner files the certificate, the lender must take part.
  • There is no application fee. You do not need a lawyer to take part.
  • Mediators are Judicial Branch employees. They do not represent either side and cannot give legal advice.
  • Mediation is not confidential. Taking part does not waive your rights.
  • The lender does not have to agree to change your loan.
  • Mediation does not by itself stop the case or promise an outcome.
  • While mediation is in its period, most motions are put on hold and a foreclosure judgment cannot enter. This hold lasts up to about eight months from the Return Date under the statute. It is not a permanent stay. The hold can end sooner. For example, the statute says it no longer applies if the homeowner makes certain other motions. Mediation does not suspend your duty to respond to the case beyond that limited time frame.

How long the program runs

The statute currently covers foreclosure cases with Return Dates through June 30, 2029.

Getting information

Mediation starts only after a foreclosure case has been filed. The court's cover notice points to these places in the court where the case was filed:

  • The Foreclosure Clerk
  • The Foreclosure Mediation Caseflow Coordinator
  • A Court Service Center

What if nothing is filed?

If nothing is filed, the court rules allow the plaintiff to ask the court for a default for failure to appear. The plaintiff may then ask for a judgment. A judgment is either a strict foreclosure or a foreclosure by sale. Whether a court acts, when it acts, and what dates it sets depend on the case. Foreclosure Clarity cannot predict any of that.

Want to know what those two kinds of judgment mean? My law day or foreclosure sale is coming up. What can I do?

Your next step depends on what you need

What you need next depends on where you are with these papers.

There is more than one way to get help. You can use one, two, or all three. You do not have to start with a lawyer.

Understand it myself

Read plain-language explanations, look at your own papers, and check official court pages. This is a good place to start if you want to know what you are looking at before you talk to anyone.

Read the Judicial Branch page of forms for defendants in foreclosure cases. Search the case look-up. Ask the clerk of the court named on your papers about court procedure.

Get free or public help

Government agencies, courts, and nonprofits run their own programs. Some cost nothing, some cost a little, and some depend on your income or where you live. Some give information or advice. Advice is not the same as having a lawyer represent you in your case. Foreclosure Clarity does not run these programs. The help page says what each one does, what it cannot do, and when we last checked it.

See programs, what each one can and cannot do, and when we last checked.

Who can I call for help with my mortgage?

Talk with an attorney

A private attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation. This is one path, not the only one. Attorneys charge fees and set their own terms. Foreclosure Clarity does not rank, rate, or recommend attorneys.

Talk with an attorney

Picking one path does not close off the others.

Talking with an attorney

An attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation. The Judicial Branch says lawyers can explain the laws, help you weigh your options, negotiate or mediate, prepare documents, and represent you in court. Some offer a free or low-cost first meeting.

Questions that usually need individual review

  • Whether papers were served properly
  • What defenses or claims to raise, and what to put in an answer
  • Whether to file a particular motion, including a motion to open a judgment
  • Whether to appeal
  • Whether bankruptcy fits your situation, and its timing
  • Servicemember protections
  • Whether EMAP or mediation rules were followed or apply
  • Questions about title, possession, or what you may owe or be owed after a sale

You do not always need an attorney. The court's own notice lists several places to start: an attorney, the Foreclosure Clerk, or a Court Service Center. Some people handle parts of their case themselves. Some attorneys offer help with only part of a matter, which is called limited-scope help. Ask what is included.

Cost. Attorneys charge fees and set their own terms. Ask about fees in writing. County bar lawyer referral services are paid referrals. They are not legal aid. The Connecticut Bar Association says it cannot provide you with a free attorney to represent you. Some public and nonprofit programs offer advice from attorneys. Advice is not the same as representation.

Before you hire. You can check whether a Connecticut attorney is licensed and whether there is a discipline history using the Judicial Branch tools on the help page. Be careful with anyone who asks for money up front before you meet. See the scam warning.

Foreclosure Clarity does not rank, rate, or recommend attorneys, and being listed anywhere on this site is not an endorsement.

Talk with an attorney

Be careful with anyone who asks for money up front, guarantees results, or asks you to sign over your deed. See the scam warning.

Official forms and case information

Official forms are on the Judicial Branch page for defendants in foreclosure cases. Open the Judicial Branch forms page

Foreclosure Clarity's own guides explain the Appearance and the Foreclosure Mediation Certificate.

Appearance (JD-CL-12) guideForeclosure Mediation Certificate (JD-CV-108) guide

You can check whether a foreclosure case has been filed. The Connecticut Judicial Branch has a public Superior Court Case Look-up.

Ways to search

  • By party name. Names need to match how they were entered in the court system. Partial names work.
  • By docket number, if you have one from your papers.
  • By property address. For foreclosure cases, this search covers cases filed on or after January 1, 2014.
  • By attorney or law firm number.

The site also has a Pending Foreclosure Sales list.

What you may see

A case page can show the case name, docket number, file date, Return Date, court location, who has appeared in the case, filings, and scheduled dates.

Check it with the court

The Judicial Branch says you are responsible for checking what you find against the official court record. The clerk of the court named on your papers can confirm it. A Court Service Center can help you use the site.

If a search finds nothing

That does not prove there is no case. A name may be entered differently than you expect, and new cases can take time to show up. If you are not sure, ask the court clerk.

  1. Is it too late to stop foreclosure?
  2. My law day or foreclosure sale is coming up. What can I do?
  3. Who can I call for help with my mortgage?
  4. Appearance and Mediation Certificate form guides
    Appearance (JD-CL-12) guideForeclosure Mediation Certificate (JD-CV-108) guide

Sources and last checked

Sources are listed below. We last checked them on October 2, 2026.

Show the 43 sources