Woodland Hills Foreclosure Protection Lawyer
Wadhwani & Shanfeld helps homeowners in Woodland Hills and across Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County stop foreclosure, catch up on missed mortgage payments, and keep their homes. As a consumer bankruptcy and debt relief law firm, we handle Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, loan modification, and second mortgage settlements for families who have received a notice from their lender.
A Woodland Hills foreclosure protection lawyer works against a very specific clock. California’s nonjudicial foreclosure process runs on statutory timelines, and each notice your lender records or mails starts a countdown. The homeowners who keep their houses are usually the ones who act while there is still time to reinstate the loan, file a bankruptcy case, or negotiate with the lender. Waiting until a sale date is posted on the front door leaves far fewer choices.
How a California Foreclosure Actually Unfolds
Most home loans in California are secured by a deed of trust, which means the lender can foreclose without going to court. The process starts when the lender or its trustee records a notice of default after you fall behind. That notice has to tell you that no sale date can be set until roughly 90 days after it was recorded. From the day the notice of default is recorded, the sale date cannot be set any earlier than three months and 20 days out.
Once that window is open, the lender can record a notice of sale. It may be recorded up to five days before the three-month period ends, so long as the sale itself is at least three months and 20 days after the notice of default. The notice of sale must be mailed by registered or certified mail and posted on the property at least 20 days before the auction. That is the point where many homeowners first realize how close they are to losing the house, and it is the stage where we get the most urgent calls.
Here is the part that surprises people: you generally have the right to reinstate the loan by paying the missed amounts, plus the lender’s allowable costs, up until five business days before the sale date. Reinstating stops the foreclosure and puts the loan back on its original terms. If the sale gets postponed by at least 10 business days, the lender must send you written notice of the new date within five business days of the postponement, so a postponement does not mean the case has gone away.
Why Choose Wadhwani & Shanfeld for Foreclosure Defense
Wadhwani & Shanfeld serves homeowners throughout Southern California, starting with Woodland Hills and the rest of the San Fernando Valley and extending across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Together the firm’s attorneys bring more than 90 years of combined legal experience to cases where a home is on the line.
Raj Wadhwani, a Southwestern Law School graduate, helped pilot the Best Case Bankruptcy software in 1998 and was the first attorney to file a bankruptcy case electronically in the Central District of California. That matters when a sale date is days away, because a case that can be prepared and filed quickly is a case that can stop an auction. Greg Shanfeld earned his law degree from the University of Southern California and has handled more than 10,000 bankruptcy cases over three decades, which means he has seen nearly every way a mortgage default can unravel and be repaired.
You speak directly with an attorney from your first call, the consultation is free, and cases can be handled entirely by phone, email, video, or online chat, including 100% virtual consultations. When a garnishment, foreclosure sale, or repossession is only days off, the firm moves fast. The firm files in every division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, including the San Fernando Valley Division that serves Woodland Hills.
Foreclosure Situations We See Most Often
- Missed Payments After a Job or Income Loss: Layoffs, reduced hours, and slow months for self-employed owners are the most common reason a Valley homeowner falls behind. A Chapter 13 plan lets you spread the arrears over three to five years while you keep making regular payments.
- Notice of Default Already Recorded: Once a notice of default is on record, the statutory clock is running. Reinstatement, loan modification, or bankruptcy all remain possible, but each has to be lined up before the sale window arrives.
- Notice of Sale Posted or Mailed: A posted notice of sale means an auction date exists. Filing bankruptcy triggers the automatic stay, which halts the sale the moment the petition is filed.
- Medical Bills Behind a Mortgage Default: An illness or injury often leads to both unpaid medical balances and missed mortgage payments. Chapter 13 can address the mortgage while the unsecured medical debt is reorganized alongside it.
- Second Mortgage or HELOC Trouble: A second lien on a home that has lost value can be a heavy burden. In some Chapter 13 cases, a wholly unsecured second mortgage can be stripped off, and the firm also handles second mortgage settlements outside of court.
- Loan Modification Denials: Servicers deny or stall modification requests regularly. Our attorneys handle loan modification and can pair it with bankruptcy protection if the lender will not work with you.
- Home Equity Above the Exemption: Owners with significant equity worry that Chapter 7 could cost them the house. Chapter 13 lets you keep the property while paying creditors what the equity requires.
- IRS Debt Layered on Top of a Mortgage Default: Unpaid tax debt can compound a housing crisis. The firm represents clients before the IRS and can often address priority tax debt inside a Chapter 13 plan.
What to Do Right Now if Your Home Is Headed Toward Foreclosure
Start by gathering every document your lender has sent: the notice of default, any notice of sale, loan statements, and correspondence about modification or forbearance. The dates on those papers tell an attorney exactly where you are in the timeline and how many days remain to reinstate or file. Do not ignore mail that looks like a form letter. In foreclosure, the form letters are the legal notices.
Call an attorney before the reinstatement window closes, which is five business days before the sale date. Many homeowners wait until the week of the sale, when the only remaining move is an emergency bankruptcy filing. That can still work, and we prepare emergency filings regularly, but an earlier call gives us room to compare reinstatement, loan modification, Chapter 13, and other options and choose the one that fits your income and your equity.
If bankruptcy is the right path, your filing division is determined by your home’s zip code. Woodland Hills is served by the San Fernando Valley Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, which sits right here in Woodland Hills. Neighbors in Encino, Tarzana, Reseda, Northridge, and Van Nuys file in the same division. Once the petition is filed, the automatic stay takes effect immediately and the lender must stop the foreclosure. In Chapter 13, the court then reviews your repayment plan, and the plan binds your mortgage lender once confirmed.
A few mistakes cost homeowners their houses. Paying a company that promises to “stop foreclosure” for an upfront fee, signing over the deed, or relying on a paralegal or petition preparer to file a rushed case can all backfire. A petition preparer can type forms but cannot give legal advice, pick your exemptions, or defend you if the trustee or a creditor objects. Mistakes in a filing can cost you property or your discharge.
Keeping Your Home Through Chapter 13, Chapter 7, and Exemptions
Chapter 13 is the workhorse for foreclosure cases. Your missed mortgage payments are folded into a plan that runs three to five years, you resume regular payments going forward, and creditors are bound once the court confirms the plan. It also suits people whose income is too high for Chapter 7 or who owe priority debts like back taxes or support arrears that Chapter 7 cannot eliminate.
Chapter 7 can work when you are current or close to current on the mortgage and your equity is protected. California does not use the federal exemptions. You must choose one of two state systems for your entire case: the standard system under CCP section 704, which includes a homestead exemption tied to county home prices and adjusted annually, or the alternative system under section 703.140(b), which has a smaller residence exemption but a flexible wildcard. To use California’s exemptions, you generally must have lived in the state for at least 730 days. Choosing the right system is one of the most consequential decisions in a case, and it depends on how much equity you have and what else you need to protect.
Foreclosure also interacts with other debts. If creditors have sued you or obtained judgments, the automatic stay halts lawsuits, bank levies, and wage garnishments along with the foreclosure, giving you one stable footing from which to reorganize everything at once.
Common Questions About Foreclosure Protection in Woodland Hills
How quickly can bankruptcy stop a foreclosure sale?
The automatic stay takes effect the moment your petition is filed with the court. The lender and trustee must stop the sale. In an emergency, we can often prepare and file a case quickly enough to stop an auction that is days away.
How long does a lender have to wait before selling my home?
After the notice of default is recorded, the sale date cannot be earlier than three months and 20 days out. The notice of sale must then be mailed and posted at least 20 days before the auction, so a homeowner who stays alert has meaningful warning.
Can I still catch up on my mortgage after a notice of default?
Yes. You can reinstate by paying the missed amounts plus allowable costs up until five business days before the sale date. If you cannot raise the full arrears at once, Chapter 13 lets you pay them over time.
Will I lose my house if I file for bankruptcy?
Most of our clients keep their homes. In Chapter 7, the question is whether your equity is protected by the California exemption you choose. If you have more equity than the exemption covers or you are behind on payments, Chapter 13 lets you keep the home and catch up over time.
What if the sale gets postponed?
A postponement does not end the foreclosure. If the sale is pushed back at least 10 business days, the lender must give you written notice of the new date within five business days of the postponement. Treat every new date as live.
Is Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 better for stopping foreclosure?
Chapter 13 is usually the stronger tool when you are behind on the mortgage, because it lets you cure the arrears over three to five years. Chapter 7 can delay a foreclosure but does not by itself fix a mortgage default, so it fits best when you are current or the home is not the main concern.
Can bankruptcy remove a second mortgage?
In some Chapter 13 cases, a second mortgage that is wholly unsecured, meaning there is no equity behind it, can be stripped off. Whether that applies depends on your home’s value and the balance on your first mortgage, which we evaluate case by case. We also handle second mortgage settlements outside of bankruptcy.
What happens if I file bankruptcy and I have filed before?
Waiting periods apply. You must wait 8 years between Chapter 7 filings, 4 years to file Chapter 13 after a Chapter 7, 2 years between Chapter 13 filings, and generally 6 years to file Chapter 7 after a Chapter 13, though that last period can be shortened if your earlier plan paid enough to unsecured creditors.
Will foreclosure protection stop wage garnishment or creditor lawsuits too?
Yes. The automatic stay halts lawsuits, judgments, bank levies, wage garnishments, repossessions, and foreclosure proceedings together. If a creditor has already served you, call us before your response deadline passes so we can decide whether to answer the suit or file bankruptcy.
Do I have to come into an office to start the process?
No. We handle cases fully by phone, email, video, and online chat, and 100% virtual consultations are available. That is especially helpful when a sale date is close and you cannot lose a day to travel.
How much will bankruptcy hurt my credit compared with losing the house?
Many homeowners facing foreclosure already have damaged credit from missed payments. A foreclosure carries its own long-term credit and lending consequences, and keeping the home through Chapter 13 while rebuilding with a secured card and on-time payments can put you in a stronger position than losing the property outright.
Can my employer fire me for filing bankruptcy to save my house?
California and federal law prohibit an employer from firing you solely because you filed for bankruptcy. Your employer is not automatically notified, though they may learn of it if they are a creditor or if Chapter 13 payments are deducted from your paycheck.
Serving Foreclosure Clients From Woodland Hills Across Southern California
We start close to home, with homeowners in Woodland Hills, and extend through the surrounding San Fernando Valley communities of Encino, Reseda, Northridge, Granada Hills, North Hollywood, North Hills, Mission Hills, San Fernando, Sylmar, and Van Nuys. We also work with clients across the Westside and Hollywood, in Santa Monica and the greater Los Angeles area, and north into Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, and Acton.
Beyond Los Angeles County, we represent homeowners throughout Orange County, including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin, La Habra, Placentia, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. In the south and east of Los Angeles County, we serve Long Beach, Lakewood, Torrance, Compton, Inglewood, Gardena, Norwalk, Bellflower, Paramount, Cerritos, Cypress, Signal Hill, and Huntington Park. Across the Inland Empire and eastern San Gabriel Valley, we help families in Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Fontana, San Bernardino, Pomona, Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Claremont, Glendora, West Covina, Riverside, and the Coachella Valley.
Talk to a Woodland Hills Foreclosure Attorney Today
If a notice of default or notice of sale has reached your mailbox, the most useful thing you can do is get a straight answer about where you stand. A Woodland Hills foreclosure attorney at Wadhwani & Shanfeld will review your dates, your income, and your equity, then tell you honestly whether reinstatement, loan modification, Chapter 13, or another path gives you the best chance of keeping your home. Call for a free consultation and speak directly with an attorney, or schedule a virtual consultation if that is easier. The sooner we see your notices, the more options you will have.
