Merced · Foreclosure & auctions
Foreclosure and auctions in Merced
Merced requires the legal owner of vacant residential property bought at a foreclosure sale or acquired through foreclosure to maintain it, with fines up to $1,000 per day if it is not fixed after notice. Foreclosure steps and auctions follow state law.
Key points
- Maintenance: The legal owner must care for the exterior, such as preventing excessive foliage, keep out trespassers and squatters, and prevent mosquito larvae.
- Fine: Up to $1,000 per day if, after notice, correction is not started within at least 14 days and finished within at least 30 days.
- State timeline: State law: at least 3 months pass from the recorded notice of default to notice of sale, posted at least 20 days before sale.
- Trustee sale: State law: a 1–4 unit trustee's sale is not final for 15 days; eligible tenant buyers and bidders may bid within 45 days.
Each rule below is marked Merced code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.
Registering vacant and foreclosed homes
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Foreclosure steps and deadlines
CA state law California law sets this statewide. Time between notice of default and sale: At least three months after the notice of default is recorded before notice of sale; the sale itself no earlier than three months and 20 days after the notice of default (Civ. Code § 2924(a)(2), (a)(4)). Notice of trustee's sale: Posted, published and recorded at least 20 days before the sale (Civ. Code § 2924f(b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →
Homeowner protections
CA state law California law sets this statewide. No foreclosure while a loan modification is pending: If a complete first-lien modification application is submitted at least five business days before a sale, the servicer may not record a notice of default or sale, or hold the sale, while it is pending (Civ. Code § 2923.6(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →
The trustee's sale (auction)
CA state law California law sets this statewide. When and where sales are held: At public auction in the county where the property is, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a business day (Civ. Code § 2924g(a)(1)). Tenant and owner-occupant priority after a sale (SB 1079): On 1–4 unit property, a trustee's sale is not final for 15 days; eligible tenant buyers and eligible bidders who give notice of intent may bid within 45 days (Civ. Code § 2924m(c)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →
Tenants in a foreclosed home
CA state law California law sets this statewide. Tenants in a foreclosed property: A month-to-month tenant must get at least 90 days' written notice to quit; a tenant with a fixed-term lease signed before the sale may stay to the end of the lease (Code Civ. Proc. § 1161b(a), (b)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →
Debt after the sale
CA state law California law sets this statewide. No deficiency after a trustee's sale: After a nonjudicial trustee's sale, the lender cannot collect any shortfall from the borrower (Code Civ. Proc. § 580d(a)). California foreclosure rules — the full state rule →
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
Must a lender or owner register a vacant or foreclosed home in Merced?
The legal owner must care for the exterior, such as preventing excessive foliage, keep out trespassers and squatters, and prevent mosquito larvae. Up to $1,000 per day if, after notice, correction is not started within at least 14 days and finished within at least 30 days.
General information, not legal advice.
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