If a legal notice with this term just landed in your mailbox, here’s what it actually means — and why you still have options.
Seeing an unfamiliar Latin phrase on a court document is unsettling enough without also worrying about your home. If you’ve come across the words “lis pendens” on something mailed to you, take a breath. You’re not alone, and this notice does not mean your options have run out.
What “Lis Pendens” Actually Means
“Lis pendens” is Latin for “pending lawsuit.” In Pennsylvania, once a lender has sent the required pre-foreclosure notices — including the notice required under Act 91, which also explains where to find help — and the default hasn’t been resolved, the lender can file a Complaint in Mortgage Foreclosure with your county’s Court of Common Pleas. That filing often creates a lis pendens: a public record stating that a court case is now tied to your property. It’s a procedural step, not a final decision, and Pennsylvania law still requires the case to run its full course before anything happens to your home.
What It Does — and Doesn’t — Mean
- It does not mean a sale date has been scheduled for your home.
- It does not mean you’ve lost the ability to stay in or keep the house.
- It does mean the foreclosure case is now active in court — and it’s a good moment to get help lined up.
Steps You Can Take Right Now
- Read the notice carefully and note any response deadline listed.
- Call a HUD-approved housing counselor — it’s free, and they can walk through your specific timeline with you.
- Ask about a face-to-face meeting with a consumer credit counseling agency. Under Pennsylvania law, meeting with one can pause further legal action for 30 days.
- If you have questions about the court filing itself, your county’s Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts office (in Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Philadelphia counties) can explain how to look up the docket.
Free Help That Applies Here
- HEMAP — Pennsylvania’s Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, administered by PHFA, offers loans to eligible homeowners working to catch up on payments.
- HUD-approved housing counselors — free, confidential guidance, and one of the required contacts under Pennsylvania’s Act 91 notice.
- PA Legal Aid Network — free legal help for qualifying homeowners, especially valuable once a court case has been filed.
- United Way 211 — connects you to local emergency and housing resources across Greater Philadelphia.
What Happens Next
After a lis pendens is filed, the case moves through the county court system, and Pennsylvania builds in real time for homeowners to respond — including the right to request mediation in some counties and the right to work with a housing counselor at any point along the way. Nothing about this stage locks you into one outcome. Some homeowners catch up on payments and keep the home. Others work out a loan modification. Some decide that selling — on their own timeline, not the bank’s — is the better fit. All of those are still on the table.
A lis pendens can feel like a scary word on an official-looking document, but it’s simply notice that a process has started — not that it’s finished. You still have time, and you still have options.
While a free counselor or legal aid attorney helps with the paperwork side, Way Out Now can work alongside you on the home side — talking through what selling, staying, or a creative option might look like for your specific situation, with no pressure either way.
Schedule your free, pressure-free Strategy Session at WayOutNow.com.
Hablamos español. Text Glen or Brie anytime: 215-999-7208.
This article is educational only and isn’t legal, financial, or tax advice. For guidance specific to your situation, talk with a free HUD-approved housing counselor, PA Legal Aid, or a licensed attorney. Outcomes vary, and nothing here is guaranteed.
