Indiana mortgage help and foreclosure assistance programs.
Indiana has ranked near the top for foreclosure activity consistently over the past several years, with urban areas like Indianapolis and Evansville and rural counties like Grant, Morgan, and Lake all showing elevated rates. At the same time, Indiana's judicial foreclosure process and a state-mandated settlement conference right give homeowners several structured opportunities to negotiate alternatives before losing a home — but only if they act quickly after receiving court papers. Deadlines under Indiana law are hard, and missing the key ones forecloses options permanently.
All legitimate foreclosure prevention services, as listed below, in Indiana are free. You should never pay an upfront fee for housing counseling, loan modification help, or settlement conference assistance.
Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network (IFPN) — your statewide starting point
The Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network (IFPN) is the state's primary free resource for homeowners behind on mortgage payments or facing foreclosure. The IFPN connects homeowners with HUD-certified housing counselors who work directly with mortgage servicers, review financial documents, help prepare hardship applications and loss mitigation packages, explain all available options, and guide homeowners through settlement conferences and court proceedings.
Counseling is free, confidential, and available to any Indiana homeowner — regardless of income or how far behind they are. Counselors are familiar with Indiana's specific laws and timelines and can help homeowners understand what deadlines apply in their case.
To reach the IFPN: Call 877-438-4673. Website: https://www.877gethope.org/. A counselor will connect with you and help you understand your next steps. To find a local IFPN partner agency near you, the partner list is at https://www.877gethope.org/ifpn-partners.
Free HUD-approved housing counseling
In addition to the IFPN network, HUD-certified housing counselors are available statewide. Use HUD's official locator at https://answers.hud.gov/housingcounseling/s/?language=en_US or call (800) 569-4287 to find approved agencies near you.
How Indiana foreclosure works — and the deadlines that matter
Indiana is a judicial foreclosure state. Every residential foreclosure must go through the court system, giving homeowners formal legal standing and — critically — opportunities to intervene that do not exist in nonjudicial states.
- Pre-suit notice (before the lawsuit is filed): If the property is your primary residence, the lender must send you a certified-mail notice at least 30 days before filing a foreclosure lawsuit. That notice must include IFPN contact information and explain your right to a settlement conference. Use this period to contact a housing counselor immediately.
- After the complaint is served: Once the lender files a foreclosure lawsuit and serves you the summons and complaint, two deadlines start running simultaneously:
You generally have 20 days to file a written answer with the court. If you do not answer, the lender will seek a default judgment — and once that is entered, your options narrow significantly. Filing an answer, even a simple one, signals to the court that you are participating in your case. Indiana Legal Help (website: https://indianalegalhelp.org) provides a free form specifically for requesting a settlement conference that also functions as an appearance.
You have 30 days from service of the complaint to notify the court that you want a settlement conference. Missing the 30-day settlement conference request deadline can allow foreclosure to proceed faster.
Settlement conference: A settlement conference is a face-to-face meeting between you, your lender's representative, and a facilitator, aimed at reaching a foreclosure prevention agreement — typically a loan modification, repayment plan, forbearance, or other workout. The lender's attorney must attend with full settlement authority. The conference is scheduled between 40 and 60 days after the court's notice. Neither party can be charged for the cost of the conference. IFPN counselors can help you prepare your loss mitigation package and attend or assist with the process. For help requesting a settlement conference, call 1-877-GET-HOPE or visit the Indiana courts self-service center at https://www.in.gov/courts/selfservice/mortgage/.
Three-month waiting period: After a judgment of foreclosure is entered, a sheriff's sale generally cannot occur for at least three months for owner-occupied properties. .
Reinstatement: You can stop the foreclosure at any point before the sale by paying all missed payments, late fees, legal costs, and other charges in a lump sum. If you reinstate before the court enters judgment, the foreclosure must be dismissed. If you reinstate after judgment but before the sale, the foreclosure is stayed — though it can resume if you miss another payment. Indiana law does not set a formal deadline for reinstatement, and most servicers will accept reinstatement any time before the sale.
No post-sale redemption right: Once the sale is confirmed, it is final. This makes acting before the sale — whether through a modification, reinstatement, or other alternative — essential.
Indiana Attorney General — Homeowner Protection Unit
The Indiana Office of the Attorney General operates a Homeowner Protection Unit that helps residents understand their legal rights during foreclosure and can provide guidance on requesting loss mitigation reviews, recognizing scams, and dealing with servicers. The Attorney General's website also maintains a complaint portal for reporting mortgage fraud and foreclosure rescue scams. Visit https://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer-protection-division/homeowner-protection/foreclosure-prevention/ or call the AG's consumer protection line.
Township trustee offices — emergency housing assistance
Indiana's township trustee system is one of the least-known but most direct sources of emergency housing help in the state. Every Indiana township has an elected trustee with a statutory duty to provide temporary assistance to residents who cannot meet basic necessities, including housing costs.
Township trustees may pay mortgage payments (or rent or utilities) directly to the lender on behalf of a qualifying household, providing short-term relief to prevent immediate loss of housing. The assistance is designed for genuine emergencies rather than ongoing support, and each of Indiana's more than 1,000 township trustees sets its own eligibility rules, income limits, and application process. You must apply at the trustee's office in the township where you live — not in any neighboring township.
To find your township trustee, contact your county's government offices or use the Indiana Township Association's locator at https://www.in.gov/dlgf/contact-your-local-officials/, or call 2-1-1 for a referral.
Free legal help
Indiana Legal Services, Inc. (ILS) is a statewide nonprofit law firm providing free civil legal assistance — including foreclosure defense — to eligible low-income Hoosiers. ILS has offices in Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Lafayette, Merrillville, New Albany, and South Bend. To apply for free legal help online, visit https://www.indianalegalservices.org/. To apply by phone, call (844) 243-8570, Monday–Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.
Indiana Legal Help (website: https://indianalegalhelp.org/) provides free court forms, legal information, and a clinic finder organized by county. The site includes the foreclosure settlement conference request form and other self-help tools for homeowners representing themselves.
Indiana 2-1-1 is a free statewide referral service that can connect homeowners to local housing counselors, legal aid offices, emergency assistance programs, and other resources by county. Call or text 211, or visit 211.org.
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