In California, lenders can foreclose on deeds of trust or mortgages using a nonjudicial foreclosure process (outside of court) or a judicial foreclosure process (through the courts). The nonjudicial foreclosure process is used most commonly in our state.
Typically, lenders wait until you've missed four consecutive mortgage payments or are 120 days behind before initiating foreclosure proceedings. If you're struggling with payments, it's essential to contact your lender right away, as they might provide options to help you avoid foreclosure.
It takes several months for a lender to foreclose on a California property. If everything goes ing to schedule, the process typically takes approximately 120 days — about four months — but the process can take as long as 200 or more days to conclude.
Timelines for distressed borrowers Borrowers have the most protections if a complete application for mortgage assistance is submitted within 120 days of the first missed payment because the servicer is not allowed to start a foreclosure process during those 120 days.
What is the common foreclosure process? There are two types of foreclosure processes–judicial and non-judicial. Non-judicial is the most common foreclosure process used. It's predominantly used in 30 states, compared to judicial foreclosure, which is commonly used in 21 states.
Three types of foreclosures may be initiated at this time: judicial, power of sale and strict foreclosure.
Borrowers are entitled to loss mitigation evaluations under the new rules, even if they applied for and were rejected for loss mitigation before the new rules took effect, provided they file their complete applications more than 37 days before a scheduled foreclosure sale.
A deed, as you know, is the legal document used by property owners to transfer their ownership of the property to a new owner. In California, the vast majority of property is transferred through one of two types of deeds: the grant deed – by far the most commonly used – and the quitclaim deed.
When Can a California Foreclosure Start? Under federal law, the servicer usually can't officially begin a foreclosure until you're more than 120 days past due on payments, subject to a few exceptions. (12 C.F.R. § 1024.41 (2025).)