DC Condo Foreclosure Timeline Calculator

How it works

This is a projection tool for the District of Columbia condominium foreclosure timeline. Given the date of default, the elected foreclosure path (nonjudicial under DC Official Code § 42-1903.13(c)(4) or judicial under DC Superior Court general civil procedure), the right-to-cure notice status, the notice-of-sale recording date, and the foreclosure-complaint filing date, it returns:

1. Whether the § 42-1903.13(c) 60-day right-to-cure period has been satisfied.
2. The earliest date the right-to-cure period closes (notice date plus 60 days).
3. The projected sale date for the elected path.
4. The days-to-sale countdown from the as-of date.

Use the calculator at the start of every DC condominium foreclosure file to confirm the procedural framework and set expectations; use it before issuing the § 42-1903.13(c) right-to-cure notice to project the post-cure sale window; use it when negotiating a payoff or workout to confirm the leverage from the projected sale date.

The relevant statute

DC condominium foreclosure draws on the DC Condominium Act (DC Official Code Title 42, Chapter 19) and the § 42-1903.13 enforcement provisions.

§ 42-1903.13 — The unit owners association has a statutory lien for unpaid common-expense assessments that attaches automatically when assessments come due. The lien is prior to a first mortgage of record for up to six months of common-expense assessments (the super-priority).

§ 42-1903.13(c) — Enforcement procedures. The association must provide the unit owner with a 60-day right-to-cure notice BEFORE initiating nonjudicial foreclosure. The notice must identify the amount in default, the components of the delinquency, the right to cure within 60 days, and the procedures for the foreclosure sale if the default is not cured.

§ 42-1903.13(c)(4) — Nonjudicial power-of-sale foreclosure procedure. The typical path for DC condominium associations. Available without judicial intervention. Requires strict compliance with the right-to-cure notice and the publication and sale-conduct procedures specified in the declaration.

DC Superior Court general civil procedure — The judicial foreclosure alternative. Does not require the § 42-1903.13(c) 60-day right-to-cure notice but typically runs longer (9 to 15 months from complaint filing to court-confirmed sale).

The DC Court of Appeals decision in Chase Plaza Condominium Association v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 98 A.3d 166 (D.C. 2014) confirmed that a properly conducted association nonjudicial foreclosure can extinguish the junior portion of the first mortgagee interest in the unit. The Chase Plaza framework substantially strengthened the collection leverage of DC condominium associations and is the reason most DC associations choose the nonjudicial path over the judicial alternative.

Key thresholds and DC-specific gotchas

The 60-day right-to-cure notice is a strict prerequisite to nonjudicial foreclosure. Skipping the notice or failing to allow the full 60 days under § 42-1903.13(c) invalidates the nonjudicial foreclosure and exposes the association to a wrongful-foreclosure claim. The notice must be in writing, must identify all of the components specified in the statute, and must be delivered in the manner specified in the declaration (typically certified mail with return receipt plus posting on the unit).

The 60-day window runs from the notice date, not the receipt date. DC practice is to measure the 60-day window from the date the right-to-cure notice is dispatched, not from the owner actual receipt date. This is owner-protective in one direction (the owner has at most 60 days even if mail delivery is slow) and association-protective in the other (the association can document the start date).

Chase Plaza extinguishment is enforcement-path-specific. The extinguishment doctrine applies when the ASSOCIATION conducts the nonjudicial foreclosure under § 42-1903.13(c)(4). When the SENIOR LENDER forecloses first (typically in a judicial action), the senior takes title subject to the association super-priority lien (which must be paid to clear title), and the sub-priority is wiped out. The two paths produce different collection outcomes.

Most DC associations choose the nonjudicial path over the judicial alternative. The Chase Plaza framework gives the association extinguishment leverage that the judicial path does not provide. The judicial path is reserved for cases where the declaration does not permit nonjudicial enforcement (rare in DC) or where the owner has asserted complex defenses that the association determines are better resolved by the court.

The publication schedule is specified in the declaration. Most DC condominium declarations require publication of the notice of sale once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the District of Columbia. Failure to comply with the publication schedule invalidates the sale. The calculator uses 45 days from notice-of-sale recording to the sale as the planning anchor to cover the three-week publication schedule plus an additional sale-conduct buffer.

A bankruptcy filing triggers the automatic stay. The unit owner bankruptcy filing under 11 U.S.C. § 362 immediately suspends the foreclosure sale regardless of the path or the right-to-cure status. The association must move for relief from the automatic stay in the bankruptcy court before proceeding. Most DC condominium associations consult bankruptcy counsel before responding to a bankruptcy filing in any collection matter.

What this calculator does NOT model

The calculator implements the PROJECTION math for the foreclosure timeline. It does NOT:

• Validate the form or content of the § 42-1903.13(c) right-to-cure notice.
• Model the specific publication schedule specified in the declaration.
• Determine whether the declaration authorizes nonjudicial foreclosure under § 42-1903.13(c)(4) (the typical DC declaration does, but check before relying).
• Model the substantive owner defenses (super-priority allocation challenges, fee-reasonableness objections, notice-defect claims) that may extend the timeline.
• Model the post-sale confirmation hearing or writ-of-possession proceedings.
• Determine deficiency-judgment availability against the prior owner.
• Validate the chain of board action required to authorize the foreclosure.
• Model the parallel super-priority and sub-priority allocation math (use the companion DC condo super-priority calculator for that).
• Account for the automatic stay arising from a bankruptcy filing or for any other procedural interruptions.

For any DC condominium foreclosure, retain DC counsel with Condominium Act experience. Chase Plaza and its successor decisions are technical; counsel should confirm the current state of the law before initiating any foreclosure action.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-05-16 against:

• DC Official Code § 42-1903.13 (statutory assessment lien; six-month super-priority).
• DC Official Code § 42-1903.13(c) (60-day right-to-cure notice prerequisite for the nonjudicial path).
• DC Official Code § 42-1903.13(c)(4) (nonjudicial power-of-sale foreclosure procedure).
• DC Official Code Title 42, Chapter 19 (DC Condominium Act).
• Chase Plaza Condominium Association v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 98 A.3d 166 (D.C. 2014).
• DC Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (judicial foreclosure procedure).
• DC Recorder of Deeds — recording requirements for the notice of foreclosure sale.
• Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (UCIOA) — the model statute on which DC Official Code § 42-1903.13 is structurally based.