Summary of District of Columbia's Foreclosure Laws

If you are facing foreclosure in D.C, it’s important to understand some of the basics, including:

the most common type of foreclosure procedure (judicial v. nonjudicial) used in D.C.
how much time you have to respond
your rights and protections in the process, and
what happens afterwards (for example, whether you’ll be liable for a deficiency judgment).

Below we have outlined some of the most important features of D.C. foreclosure law. Keep in mind that this is just a summary; we’ve included statute citations so you can get more details from the laws themselves. And be sure to check out Nolo’s extensive Foreclosure section, where you can find information about all aspects of foreclosure, definitions of foreclosure terms (like redemption and reinstatement), and options to avoid foreclosure.

Topic	State Rule
Common type of foreclosure process	Nonjudicial: under power of sale in deed of trust
Time to respond	Before sale, foreclosing party must send 30-day notice of sale to homeowner by registered or certified mail and send a copy of the notice to the DC mayor. The 30-day period begins when the mayor receives notice.
Reinstatement of loan before sale	Allowed up to five days before the sale, once in two consecutive years
Redemption after sale	No
Special protections for foreclosures involving high-cost mortgages	None
Special state protections for service members	None
Deficiency judgments	May be obtained by filing a lawsuit
Cash exempted in bankruptcy	About $11,000 for one person, $22,000 for a married couple under federal bankruptcy exemptions
Notice to leave after house is sold	DC law does not specify an amount of notice that must be given before former owner can be evicted. Ask a resource (see Ch.10) about local practice.
Foreclosure statute	D.C. Code Ann. § 42-815