For institutional lenders, the filing of any foreclosure action requires careful navigation and compliance with various state and federal laws.  Notice to the mortgagor, for instance, is a prerequisite to any foreclosure; however, what if the property is subject to a residential lease? What obligation does a mortgagee then have to a third-party tenant?  For issues like these, states generally have their own specific tenant foreclosure notice requirements.  In many states, notice laws are drafted to mirror the federal provisions provided under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (“PTFA”).

Introduced in 2009, the PTFA was originally enacted under Title VII of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act.  The PTFA included a sunset clause, but on May 24 2018, the Trump Administration signed its permanent extension into law.  In addition to serving a notice on the mortgagor, the PTFA mandates that notices to foreclose must also be served on all tenants.  Generally, once the mortgagee issues a notice to foreclose, the PTFA permits tenants to stay in the foreclosed property for either: (1) 90-days from the date of the notice or (2) the remainder of their lease term, whichever is greater.  Significantly, however, the PTFA’s protections only apply to tenants with bona fide tenancies.…

Continue Reading The Often Overlooked Federal Protections to Tenants in Foreclosure Actions