The Consumer and Homeowner Rights Project (CHRP) provides legal services to Vermont homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes due to financial hardship. We also help homeowners with estate planning and provide legal assistance to heirs who need help getting the deed to the home they inherited.

We may be able to help Vermont homeowners who:

• got a Summons and Complaint for foreclosure from the court
• got a Notice of Sale of their property due to unpaid town or city property taxes
• inherited their primary home from a family member but need help getting the deed in probate court, or
• want to transfer their primary home to a loved one when they pass using an Enhanced Life Estate Deed.

We now have funding to help income-qualified homeowners in Vermont whose primary home is at risk.

We may also be able to help if you inherited your primary home but need help getting the deed through probate court.

We advocate for housing security for low- and moderate-income homeowners. For example, we helped to get Act 106 — a law that protects homeowners from unnecessarily losing their homes to tax sale — get passed into law. The law adds guardrails to the property tax collection process by requiring towns to:

• wait until a homeowner is at least 1 year behind on taxes before proceeding to tax sale
• offer reasonable repayment plans to homeowners before starting tax sale process
• give 30 days’ actual notice of tax sale to homeowners, and
• give notice to homeowners at least 90 days before their home transfers to a tax-sale purchaser with information about how to redeem the property.

The Consumer and Homeowner Rights Project has developed information on legal topics that affect homeowners. Access information for homeowners on our VTLawHelp.org website.

“Thank you for all your support and help during the most difficult time in my life. Because of you and your staff, I am not homeless. Many blessings to you always.”

— Note from a recent client