Foreclosure help in Bergen County

Specific to Bergen County

Foreclosure in Bergen County, step by step

Every Bergen County foreclosure starts with a complaint filed with the statewide Office of Foreclosure in Trenton. What happens next, from a General Equity judge to the sheriff's sale in Hackensack, follows from whether you answer and how.

Where a contested Bergen County case goes

A contested case goes to a General Equity judge of the Bergen Vicinage. The case only moves there if you file a contesting answer within 35 days of being served. Without one, it stays with the Office of Foreclosure in Trenton, which may recommend final judgment without a hearing on the merits. The court's notices give the courtroom and location for any hearing.

The vicinage's General Equity extension is listed on this page.

Finding the lis pendens on a Bergen County property

After the complaint is filed, the lender records a notice of lis pendens with the Bergen County Clerk, whose Land Records office is in Room 150 at One Bergen County Plaza. Anyone who later takes an interest in the property through the owner is bound by the judgment.

The Clerk's land records search, linked on this page, lets you look up your own property and see what has been recorded against it, including the lis pendens and the mortgage it concerns.

The Bergen County sheriff's sale

Bergen County sheriff's sales are held in the conference room at 2 Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack. The sale days are not stated in the county record, so check the sheriff's sale listing for your property's date.

The sheriff must sell within 150 days of receiving the writ of execution, and the sale can be adjourned: twice at the lender's request, twice at yours, once by agreement, each for no more than 30 days. Deed payments are taken at the Sheriff's Office on the 2nd floor of 2 Bergen County Plaza, by cashier's or certified check only.

A participating New Jersey attorney or firm follows up on a request. This site does not review cases.