The Homeowner Legal Assistance Project (HLAP) provides legal services to Vermont homeowners who are at risk of losing their housing due to financial hardship. We give quick advice to Vermont homeowners who have past-due:

• mortgage payments
• property taxes
• utility bills
• association fees, or
• insurance payments

at their primary residence. We also represent homeowners in cases of foreclosure and mobile home “replevin” (a type of foreclosure).

We advocate for homeowners to get financial help through the state’s Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program (VHAP). Since creating HLAP in early 2022, we successfully advocated for changes to the law that keep Vermont homeowners safely housed while waiting for a decision on their VHAP application. This includes:

• a court rule that pauses foreclosure court process if the homeowner notifies the court of a pending VHAP application for mortgage assistance
• a law that prohibits towns from conducting property-tax sales if the homeowner notifies the town of a pending VHAP application for property tax assistance, and
• a regulation that stops private electric and natural gas utilities from shutting off service to homeowners who have applied for utility assistance through VHAP.