Redemption ends at confirmation, not at the auction
The single most important fact about Ohio redemption is the deadline. R.C. 2329.33 lets the debtor redeem “at any time before the confirmation” of the sale. The auction itself doesn’t end the right.
That gap is usually a few weeks. In Summit County, the Sheriff’s FAQ says the plaintiff’s attorney files the confirmation within 30 days of the sale date, and tells owners plainly that if you can pay off your mortgage or get new financing before confirmation, you can keep your home.
Some states give owners months or a year after a foreclosure sale. Ohio’s mortgage foreclosure statute doesn’t. Once the confirmation entry is journalized, the statutory right is gone.
What redemption costs under R.C. 2329.33
To redeem, you deposit with the clerk of the court of common pleas handling the case:
- The amount of the judgment or decree the house was sold on;
- All costs, including the sheriff’s poundage;
- Interest at 8% a year on the purchase money, from the day of sale to the day of your deposit.
If the lender itself bought the house at the sale, the 8% runs only on the part of the bid above the lender’s claim.
The court then orders the sale set aside, applies your deposit to the judgment and costs, and the buyer gets the purchase price back from the sheriff plus the interest from the clerk. Ask the plaintiff’s attorney or the clerk for a written payoff figure good through a specific date, because interest and costs keep growing.
Where the money comes from in practice
Few owners have the full judgment in cash. Redemption usually happens one of these ways:
- A refinance with a new lender who can close before confirmation;
- A family loan or other private money, secured or not;
- A sale to a buyer who can close fast enough that the title company pays the judgment before the confirmation is filed.
Each depends on the lender’s attorney and the court knowing a payoff is coming. If you’re close, tell the plaintiff’s attorney in writing. R.C. 2329.31(A) lets the court stay confirmation to give an owner time to redeem, but it doesn’t have to. The practical side of a fast pre-confirmation sale is covered on selling before a sheriff sale.
Exceptions that change the window
Ohio law trims or reshapes redemption in a few cases:
- Vacant and abandoned homes. When a court finds a home vacant and abandoned under R.C. 2308.02, R.C. 2308.03(C) says the equitable and statutory rights of redemption expire upon confirmation. Because the case is expedited, that day comes sooner.
- Second sale with no minimum bid. Under R.C. 2329.311, after a residential sale held without the usual minimum, the judgment creditor and the first lienholder each get 14 days to redeem by paying the purchase price. If both try, the first lienholder wins. This right belongs to lenders, not owners.
- The federal government. If the United States holds a junior lien and is a party, 28 U.S.C. 2410(c) gives it one year from the sale to redeem, or for an IRS tax lien, 120 days or the state period, whichever is longer.
Redemption in tax foreclosures
Delinquent-tax foreclosures have parallel rules, with one key difference.
- Ordinary tax foreclosure. Under R.C. 5721.25 and 323.25(B), you can redeem after the case is filed but before confirmation of sale by paying all taxes, assessments, penalties, interest, charges and costs, and showing the property complies with zoning and building, health and safety codes. If you haven’t defaulted on one before, you may instead sign a delinquent tax contract with the treasurer, paid over up to five years.
- The alternative redemption period. R.C. 323.65 defines it as 28 days after the foreclosure decree is journalized. If the treasurer invokes it under R.C. 323.78 and a land bank, city, township, county, school district or community development group has asked for the parcel, redemption ends after those 28 days, and the parcel transfers without appraisal or sale.
- Tax certificate parcels. Under R.C. 5721.38, before the certificate holder starts foreclosure you redeem by paying the certificate redemption prices. After foreclosure starts, you also pay 18% interest and costs, up until confirmation.
The county-level detail is in the guides to delinquent property taxes and Board of Revision tax foreclosure.
What happens to the buyer when you redeem
Bidders know an Ohio sale can be undone before confirmation, and the system protects them. The Summit County Sheriff’s FAQ says that when an owner redeems, the plaintiff’s attorney files an order to vacate the sheriff sale that includes instructions to return the buyer’s deposit. The refund takes about 10 days to process after the Sheriff receives the filed order.
This is also why the Sheriff warns buyers not to start renovations before confirmation: they don’t own the house yet, and the owner can still redeem.
If you miss the redemption deadline
After confirmation, the focus shifts. You can’t redeem, but you can still:
- claim any surplus the sale produced, as explained in the surplus funds guide;
- arrange your move before the writ of possession is enforced;
- check whether a deficiency is owed, and when R.C. 2329.08 makes it unenforceable.
Because redemption is such a short window, a foreclosure lawyer is worth calling the day a sale date appears. If you’re trying to raise the payoff by selling, we can give you a written offer quickly so you can see whether it covers the judgment.
