How does a Philadelphia sheriff sale work for the owner?

A Philadelphia sheriff sale is an online auction run by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. The sales run on the Bid4Assets website. The Sheriff says every sale takes place at 10 a.m. on its Bid4Assets Philadelphia page. You need a Bid4Assets account to bid. Each property on the list has a book and writ number. A bid in the last five minutes sends the auction into overtime.

Mortgage foreclosure sales are held on the first Tuesday of each month, the Sheriff says. Auctions open at about 10 a.m. Each row on the Bid4Assets lists shows its auction's close time, so check the list for the time. The Sheriff's site has no calendar of its own. It points to the Bid4Assets list of all sheriff sales now scheduled. Check that list for the current dates and properties.

Philadelphia holds two kinds of sheriff sale. The first is the judicial mortgage foreclosure sale. Mortgage companies use it to collect a debt after a default. The second is the tax sale. Tax sales include tax lien, tax collection and tax delinquent sales. A home can go to a tax sale when the owner has no payment plan for city debts. Those debts can be water and sewer bills, School District of Philadelphia taxes and city property taxes.

Some properties on the Philadelphia sheriff sale list are for the Philadelphia Land Bank only. On those properties, no bids other than the Land Bank bids will be accepted, the Sheriff says. The Sheriff's overview of the sale process explains this.

The winning bidder pays 10 percent of the price by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the first business day after the auction. The bidder then has 15 calendar days from the auction date to pay the rest. Bid4Assets says only one deposit is required per auction date. The deposit must be a certified check, a money order or a wire transfer. A winning bidder who does not follow the payment rules loses the deposit.

The upset price is the least amount the plaintiff will accept for a property. The plaintiff is the party that brought the foreclosure case. On mortgage sales, the Sheriff adds its costs to the upset price. That total is the reserve price for the auction. After the minimum bid, bids go up by at least $1,000 at a time. Bidders must be 18 or older. Realty transfer taxes are already included in the bid amounts.

All sales are final, Bid4Assets says. If the property is occupied, the new owner must start a court case called ejectment to have the occupant removed. Generally, properties are sold free and clear of liens and encumbrances. The Sheriff's Office can also cancel a sale after the auction closes, for any reason.

Pennsylvania court rules set the notice before a sheriff sale. The sheriff posts handbills at the sheriff's office and on the property. That happens at least 30 days before the sale. The party that brought the case must also serve written notice at least 30 days before. It goes to the owner, the defendants and the lienholders named in the Rule 3129.1 affidavit, a sworn statement filed for the sale. The sheriff also prints a newspaper notice once a week for three weeks in a row. The first one runs at least 21 days before the sale. This is general information, not legal advice.

The key dates in the rules, in order:

• Act 6 notice: at least 30 days before a foreclosure starts.
• Handbills and written notice: at least 30 days before the sale.
• First newspaper notice: at least 21 days before the sale.
• Winning bidder pays the balance: within 15 days of the sale.
• Schedule of distribution: no later than 30 days after the sale.

Where is a Philadelphia sheriff sale advertised?

Court-ordered sales are advertised in the Legal Intelligencer. They also run in a paper of general circulation, on a rotating basis. Bid4Assets posts the lists, with one page for mortgage foreclosure sales and one for tax sales. The Sheriff's site also has a List of Properties for upcoming sales. Read the Sheriff's overview of the sheriff sale process for its own words.

What notice comes before a mortgage foreclosure starts?

Pennsylvania's Act 6 covers what it calls a residential mortgage. The act defines it as a loan of the base figure or less, a dollar limit set under the act, on Pennsylvania property with two or fewer residential units, condominium units included. The borrower it covers is a non-corporate borrower. For those loans, the lender must send a written notice that it plans to foreclose. That notice goes out at least 30 days before the lender starts a foreclosure. Read the text of Act 6 for the full terms. This is general information, not legal advice.

What does the Act 91 notice say?

Act 91 does not apply when the home is not the borrower's principal residence or is not a one or two-family owner-occupied home. It also does not apply to a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration under Title II of the National Housing Act. For a covered loan, the lender sends the notice once the owner is at least 60 days behind. The notice gives the owner 30 days, plus 3 days for mail, to meet face to face with a consumer credit counseling agency. This is general information, not legal advice.

How long does the counseling wait last?

After the owner meets the counseling agency, the lender may not file a court case on the home for up to 30 calendar days. That limit comes from Act 91. This is general information, not legal advice.

What happens while a HEMAP application is pending?

HEMAP is part of the same state law. While an owner's HEMAP application is pending, the lender may not start a foreclosure case on the mortgage. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is the Act 6 right to cure?

Act 6 lets the residential mortgage debtor, or anyone on the debtor's behalf, cure the default. It can happen up to one hour before bidding starts at the sheriff sale, no more than three times in a calendar year. To cure, the debtor must:

• Pay, in cash, a cashier's check or a certified check, all sums that would have been due without the default and any acceleration.
• Do anything else the loan required that would have been due without the default.
• Pay the reasonable fees the act allows and the reasonable costs of the foreclosure, as the lender lists them in writing.
• Pay any reasonable late penalty the loan papers provide for.

This is general information, not legal advice.

It depends on the kind of sale. The Sheriff says the right of redemption does not apply to a mortgage foreclosure sheriff sale. After a tax delinquent sale, the owner of record may be able to redeem the house. The owner has nine months from the acknowledgment of the sheriff's deed. The owner goes to court and pays back the taxes and the bidder's money. This is general information, not legal advice.

Which tax sale properties cannot be redeemed?

The Sheriff says that if the property is unoccupied or abandoned, there is no right of redemption. The state law says there shall be no redemption of vacant property after the sheriff's deed is acknowledged. The nine months also come from that law, section 32 of the Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can an owner ask the court to set a sale aside?

Yes, a party with an interest in the property can ask the court to set aside the sale. Under Pennsylvania rule 3132, the petition must come before delivery of the sheriff's deed. The Sheriff's FAQ says an owner can file a Motion to Set Aside before the deed goes to the new owner. For proper cause, the court may set aside the sale and order a resale. This is general information, not legal advice.

The sheriff prepares a proposed schedule of distribution. Pennsylvania rule 3136 says this happens no later than 30 days after the sale. The schedule shows who gets paid from the sale money. Written exceptions must be filed with the sheriff within 10 days after the schedule is filed. The Sheriff says any balance left after those payouts goes to the homeowner. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is the H.A.R.T. claim form?

H.A.R.T. stands for the Sheriff's Home Asset Recovery Team. A former homeowner may recover any money left on the account through H.A.R.T. The Sheriff's H.A.R.T. page on money left after a sheriff sale has the claim form.

Do you need an outside company to claim leftover money?

No, the Sheriff says. Some homeowners get a letter from an out-of-state company that says it will help claim surplus funds. The Sheriff warns about these letters. You do not need to use an outside company to claim the money.

The Sheriff is Rochelle Bilal. The office's Real Estate division runs the sheriff sales. Here is how to reach it:

• Address: 100 South Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110.
• Main phone: 215-686-3560.
• Real Estate phone: 215-686-3565.
• Walk-in hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Sheriff's site also says that effective November 23, the service window will close to the public at 3:30 p.m.

Where does the bidding happen?

The City's notice of October 23, 2026 says all official online bidding is done through Bid4Assets. Bid4Assets has two pages for these sales:

• The mortgage foreclosure sheriff sale list.
• The tax sheriff sale list.

What warnings has the Sheriff posted?

The Sheriff says all Sheriff's Sales are watched for fraud. Suspicious bidders are suspended and may be prosecuted. Residents who think they were evicted by someone posing as a deputy sheriff must contact the Sheriff's Office.

The City runs a Foreclosure Prevention Program. It gives free housing counseling and legal aid for mortgage or tax foreclosure. Any Philadelphia homeowner who lives in the at-risk home can take part. The hotline is (215) 334-4663. The Sheriff says the hotline is staffed by lawyers and paralegals trained in housing law.

Is there a City grant for owners who are behind?

The City Foreclosure Prevention Grant gives up to $5,000. It is for homeowners who are three or more months behind on the mortgage. Questions go to the Division of Housing and Community Development at (215) 686-9749.

Who gives free counseling and legal help?

The City's Office of Housing and Community Development supports 30 approved housing counseling agencies. They give free counseling to city residents. The Sheriff's homeowner resources page also names two free legal groups:

• Philadelphia Legal Assistance.
• Community Legal Services, which gives free legal help in civil matters to residents with low incomes.

Is there help for active-duty service members?

Yes. The City's foreclosure page says that if you are an active-duty military service member, you may qualify for mortgage help under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

If your home is on the sheriff sale list and you would like to sell it before the sale date, you can contact us to request a cash offer. We are As-Is Home Buyer, a company that buys houses for cash. You send the address through the offer form. We reply with a cash offer for the house as it stands. You decide whether to accept it.

Do you have to fix the house first?

No. An as-is offer is for the house in its current condition. You do not make repairs before you sell. See how we buy houses in Philadelphia for cash.

This page gives general information about Philadelphia sheriff sales, not legal advice. The Sheriff's Office, the courts and the City set the rules and the dates.