| Instructions
These instructions are to help you represent yourself if you are
a defendant in a foreclosure case. Legal words and court
documents can be confusing. The more you know about
foreclosure, the more comfortable you will be when you fill out
the necessary forms and come to court. These instructions will
give you some useful information and instructions on filling out
the necessary forms.
Every case is
different and these instructions are to be used as a guide only;
if you think you need more help you may want to get an
attorney. You can also go to a
Court Service Center or contact the
Connecticut Network for Legal
Aid or
find additional information at the Law Libraries.
Court Staff can help you understand the legal process, and while
they may give you procedural information, they cannot
give you legal advice.
To respond to a foreclosure lawsuit
you first have to fill out the following forms:
By
filing an Appearance form you are telling the court that
you are acting as your own attorney and giving the court your
mailing address. Once you file an Appearance, all court notices
and papers filed about your case that are filed after your
Appearance will be sent to the address on your Appearance.
The Appearance form is due by the return date which is listed on
the top right corner of the Summons. The Summons is one of the
forms that started the case against you. By filing an
Appearance form you
are telling the court that you are acting as your own attorney
and giving the court your mailing address. It is best to file an
Appearance as early as possible. It is important to fill out
this form in order to receive any court notices, and to give the
other parties to your case a correct address for correspondence
about the case.
The Foreclosure Mediation Certificate can be turned in with the Appearance form but must be filed
no later than 15 days from the return date on your Summons. The
Foreclosure Mediation Certificate asks for information to try to allow you into the Foreclosure
Mediation Program, a program to help homeowners settle their
foreclosure cases. You have to
answer 5 questions including if the home is your primary residence,
do you occupy the property, is the property a 1-, 2-, 3- or
4-family residence, if you are the borrower, and is the
foreclosure a mortgage foreclosure. If the answer to all 5
questions is “yes”, you may be qualified for the Foreclosure Mediation Program. If the court
decides you are qualified for the program, it will send you a
notice to the address listed on your Appearance form with the
date and time your Mediation is scheduled.
The Answer to Complaint is due within 15 days of the return date
listed on the summons. (There are some exceptions to this
15-day requirement that are in sections 10-6 and 10-8 of the
Connecticut
Practice Book.
You may go to any Court Service Center for help filling out
these or any other forms or for any procedural questions that
you have about your case.
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