If an Act 91 notice just showed up in your mailbox, take a breath — it opens a 30-day window, not a deadline for losing your home.
You’re not alone. Opening an envelope from your mortgage company and seeing the words “Act 91 Notice” printed across the top is enough to make anyone’s stomach drop. Before anything else, know this: the notice is the start of a process with real options built into it — not a foreclosure that’s already happened.
What’s Actually Happening
An Act 91 notice is required by Pennsylvania law before most lenders can move forward with foreclosing on a home you live in full-time. Lenders typically send it once a mortgage is about 60 days past due, and it’s often the first formal letter that spells out what’s at stake — not the foreclosure filing itself. That’s a separate court document called a foreclosure complaint, and it only comes later, if nothing changes in the meantime. Whether you’re in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, or Chester County, this notice works the same way under state law.
What the Notice Actually Gives You
- A 30-day window (plus a few extra days for mailing) to meet with a HUD-approved credit counseling agency before your lender can take further legal action.
- The right to apply for HEMAP — Pennsylvania’s Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program — a state loan that can bring an eligible mortgage current after a temporary hardship.
- Time to talk with your loan servicer about a repayment plan or a loan modification (a change to your loan’s terms to make payments more manageable).
- Room to think through your options, including whether keeping the home, or exploring a sale on your own timeline, makes the most sense for your situation.
What If You Don’t Respond?
If the 30 days pass without a meeting, your lender is generally free to move forward with the next legal step: filing a foreclosure complaint in court. That still isn’t the end of the road — Pennsylvania homeowners typically have additional time and court dates before a sheriff’s sale — but the earlier you use this window, the more choices you keep. There’s no downside to calling a free counselor early, even if you’re not sure yet what you want to do.
Free Resources First
- HEMAP counseling — call 1-855-627-4368 or visit PHFA.org to connect with a HUD-approved housing counselor near you, free of charge.
- PA 211 — dial 211, or text your zip code to 898-211, for local mortgage, legal, and emergency assistance referrals anywhere in Pennsylvania.
- PA Legal Aid Network — free legal help to review your notice and confirm exactly where you stand and what deadlines apply to you.
A single free, 30-minute conversation with a HEMAP-approved counselor is often the most useful thing you can do the week a notice like this arrives — it turns a scary letter into a clear next step.
You’re Not Out of Time, and You’re Not Out of Options
An Act 91 notice can feel like a countdown, but Pennsylvania built it to be a bridge to help, not a trapdoor. Homeowners who use the 30 days — whether that means calling a free counselor, talking to their servicer, or exploring what a sale or a different path could look like — almost always end up with more options than they expected. Hablamos español. Si prefiere hablar en español sobre este aviso, cuéntenos y le ayudaremos paso a paso.
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Hablamos español. Text Glen or Brie anytime: 215-999-7208.
