Homeowner Protection Program
Our program helps families stay in their homes every day. The Legal Project’s Homeowner Protection Program provides legal advice and representation to homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
Fortunately, New York State is a “Judicial” state, meaning that its foreclosure procedures are governed by New York laws and other regulations, which offer many protections to homeowners.
What can The Legal Project’s Homeowner Protection Program offer you?
- We provide confidential, free consultations to people facing foreclosure
- We discuss your rights and options with you to help you make informed choices
- We offer pro bono representation to people who qualify, offering assistance with answering a complaint, Supreme Court settlement conferences and loan workout options, if eligible
- We make referrals to housing counseling agencies, advocacy groups and private bankruptcy firms, if needed
The New York counties we serve: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington.
All programs and services have specific eligibility requirements.
What People Are Saying About Our Program
“The Legal Project is amazing, and I appreciate all the help in my foreclosure process.”
“The staff at The Legal Project is knowledgeable and made me feel at ease.”
“I will be forever grateful to The Legal Project. They helped me save my family’s home.”
Mission Moment
Our client is a 75 yr. old gentleman with a reverse mortgage on his home in rural Greene County. Initially, illness plus injury requiring surgery and prolonged recovery, and then COVID, caused him to suspend his dog training business, which caused him to fall behind in his property tax payments. The reverse mortgage servicer refused to consider him for a repayment plan following his surgery, and they maintained this position throughout his COVID hardship. We worked with the Albany County Rural Housing Alliance to file an application for Homeowner Assistance Funds (HAF), made available to the states through the CARES Act.
After multiple submissions and requests to review to establish eligibility of his mortgage loan for the program, as well as repeated requests from the mortgage servicer for updated reinstatement figures, HAF approved his application and recently paid PHH, the reverse mortgage servicer, $43,746.00 to reinstate the mortgage and reimburse PHH for what they had paid on his behalf. Our client was required to sign a promissory note for the HAF funding. If he remains in the property for 5 years after distribution of the funds, the full amount becomes a grant, and is forgiven. Should he vacate the property before the 5 year period has expired, he will be required to pay back the loan, with it being treated like a second mortgage.
A reverse mortgage requires that the homeowner remain current with property taxes and homeowners’ insurance during his lifetime and life of the loan, and failure to do so constitutes default, and can trigger foreclosure on the property. Our client is confident that he will be able to keep up with his tax and insurance payments going forward, and that the HAF program truly helped him keep his long-term home.